title: Nanotechnological strategies for the treatment of neglected diseases.
abstract: Neglected diseases are prevalent in less developed countries and are associated with high levels of mortality and/or morbidity. The drugs used in clinical practice are toxic, reducing patient compliance, and generally do not result in a cure, and there has also been a surge in drug resistance. Additionally, a major challenge in drug treatment lies in reaching the intracellular sites infected by parasites. The development of nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for drugs intended to treat neglected diseases is a promising avenue because the use of nanocarriers presents the ability to target drugs to the infected cells, and the prolonged drug release profile possible with these systems permits longer contact between the drug and the parasite. This review describes the roles of colloidal drug carriers, such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles and solid lipid nanoparticles, in research on optimizing the delivery of antileishmanial, antitrypanosomal, antichagasic and antimalarial agents.
authors.forename: Najeh Maissar
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.forename: Ana Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Mattos
authors.forename: Talita Cristina Moraes Moreira
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.forename: Daniel Brustolin
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste, Rua Simeão Camargo Varela de Sá 03, 85040-080 Guarapuava, PR - Brazil. rubianamainardes@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Rubiana Mara
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mainardes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D058069:Neglected Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D004337:Drug Carriers