title: Mucus-penetrating nanoparticles for drug and gene delivery to mucosal tissues.
abstract: Mucus is a viscoelastic and adhesive gel that protects the lung airways, gastrointestinal (GI) tract, vagina, eye and other mucosal surfaces. Most foreign particulates, including conventional particle-based drug delivery systems, are efficiently trapped in human mucus layers by steric obstruction and/or adhesion. Trapped particles are typically removed from the mucosal tissue within seconds to a few hours depending on anatomical location, thereby strongly limiting the duration of sustained drug delivery locally. A number of debilitating diseases could be treated more effectively and with fewer side effects if drugs and genes could be more efficiently delivered to the underlying mucosal tissues in a controlled manner. This review first describes the tenacious mucus barrier properties that have precluded the efficient penetration of therapeutic particles. It then reviews the design and development of new mucus-penetrating particles that may avoid rapid mucus clearance mechanisms, and thereby provide targeted or sustained drug delivery for localized therapies in mucosal tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (JH Primary Appointment), Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. samlai@jhu.edu
authors.forename: Samuel K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Ying-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D009093:Mucus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers