title: Novel delivery systems for interferons.
abstract: Interferons, IFNs, are among the most widely studied and clinically used biopharmaceuticals. Despite their invaluable therapeutic roles, the widespread use of IFNs suffers from some inherent limitations, mainly their relatively short circulation lifespan and their unwanted effects on some non-target tissues. Therefore, both these constraints have become the central focus points for the research efforts on the development of a variety of novel delivery systems for these therapeutic agents with the ultimate goal of improving their therapeutic end-points. Generally, the delivery systems currently under investigation for IFNs can be classified as particulate delivery systems, including micro- and nano-particles, liposomes, minipellets, cellular carriers, and non-particulate delivery systems, including PEGylated IFNs, other chemically conjugated IFNs, immunoconjugated IFNs, and genetically conjugated IFNs. All these strategies and techniques have their own possibilities and limitations, which should be taken into account when considering their clinical application. In this article, currently studied delivery systems/techniques for IFN delivery have been reviewed extensively, with the main focus on the pharmacokinetic consequences of each procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. hamidim@sums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamidi
authors.forename: Abdolhossein
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarrin
authors.forename: Mahshid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foroozesh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008055:Lipids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D007372:Interferons