title: Nanotechnology applications for the therapy of liver fibrosis.
abstract: Chronic liver diseases represent a major global health problem both for their high prevalence worldwide and, in the more advanced stages, for the limited available curative treatment options. In fact, when lesions of different etiologies chronically affect the liver, triggering the fibrogenesis mechanisms, damage has already occurred and the progression of fibrosis will have a major clinical impact entailing severe complications, expensive treatments and death in end-stage liver disease. Despite significant advances in the understanding of the mechanisms of liver fibrinogenesis, the drugs used in liver fibrosis treatment still have a limited therapeutic effect. Many drugs showing potent antifibrotic activities in vitro often exhibit only minor effects in vivo because insufficient concentrations accumulate around the target cell and adverse effects result as other non-target cells are affected. Hepatic stellate cells play a critical role in liver fibrogenesis , thus they are the target cells of antifibrotic therapy. The application of nanoparticles has emerged as a rapidly evolving area for the safe delivery of various therapeutic agents (including drugs and nucleic acid) in the treatment of various pathologies, including liver disease. In this review, we give an overview of the various nanotechnology approaches used in the treatment of liver fibrosis.
authors: Lydia Giannitrapani, Maurizio Soresi, Giuseppe Montalto, Unit of Internal Medicine, Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors: Lydia
authors: L
authors: Giannitrapani
authors: Lydia Giannitrapani, Maurizio Soresi, Giuseppe Montalto, Unit of Internal Medicine, Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Soresi
authors: Lydia Giannitrapani, Maurizio Soresi, Giuseppe Montalto, Unit of Internal Medicine, Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors: Maria Luisa
authors: ML
authors: Bondì
authors: Lydia Giannitrapani, Maurizio Soresi, Giuseppe Montalto, Unit of Internal Medicine, Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Montalto
authors: Lydia Giannitrapani, Maurizio Soresi, Giuseppe Montalto, Unit of Internal Medicine, Biomedical Department of Internal Medicine and Specialties DiBiMIS, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors: Melchiorre
authors: M
authors: Cervello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D004337:Drug Carriers; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers
keywords: Antifibrotic drugs, Cirrhosis; Hepatic stellate cells; Liver fibrosis; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology