title: Macromolecular carrier systems for targeted drug delivery: pharmacokinetic considerations on biodistribution.
abstract: This review article describes the current status and future perspectives of site-specific drug delivery by means of macromolecular carrier systems. Basic aspects and recent advances of targeted delivery of 1) conventional drugs, 2) protein drugs, and 3) gene medicines including antisense oligonucleotides and plasmid DNA, are reviewed from a pharmacokinetic perspective. Successful in vivo application of macromolecular carrier systems requires pharmacokinetic considerations at whole body, organ, cellular and subcellular levels. The integration of simultaneous research progress in the multidisciplinary fields such as biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics will accelerate the emergence of marketed drugs with macromolecular carrier systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Delivery Research, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takakura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004337:Drug Carriers; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D046911:Macromolecular Substances