Application of Nanomaterials in Pharmacy

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Application of Nanomaterials in Pharmacy
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1 Promoting drug absorption and increasing
bioavailability

• The current research in nanopharmaceuticals is
  mainly on how to use nanomaterials as drug
  carriers to improve the efficacy of drugs. There
  are two main ways to improve the efficacy of
  drugs one way is the nanometerization of drugs,
  that is, to make drugs into nanoparticles.
  Nanoparticles have a small particle size, a large
  specific surface area, and a significantly faster
  dissolution rate than conventional materials,
  which helps their absorption in the
  gastrointestinal tract. Another way is to use
  nanoparticles as drug carriers. Since these
  nanoparticles are highly dispersed, have a large
  surface area, and have special surface properties
  (such as bioadhesion, electrical properties,
  affinity, etc.), which is conducive to improving
  drug loading and Increasing the contact time and
  contact area of the drug at the absorption site,
  and the nanoparticles have a significant
  protective effect on the drug, so the absorption
  and bioavailability of drugs can be improved.

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2 Targeting delivery of drugs

• Nanocarriers can also improve drug targeting
  activity and reduce side effects. When
  nanoparticles circulate in the body, they are
  easily absorbed by the reticuloendothelial
  system. Some pathological tissues can
  specifically pass nanoparticles. For example,
  tumor vessels have high permeability to
  nanoparticles, and can selectively absorb large
  molecules and colloidal particles with a diameter
  of lt600 nm. Therefore, using of nanocarriers to
  carry drugs can allow the drugs to penetrate the
  tumor vessels in the circulation of the body and
  reach the inside of the tumor, thereby targeting
  the tumor tissue. Some nanocarriers can
  dynamically transfer drugs to target sites due to
  their specific physical properties. For example,
  some nano-magnetic particles have
  superparamagnetism and can be oriented and moved
  under the action of an external magnetic field.
  Attempts have been made to use nanomagnetic
  particles as a carrier for certain drugs for
  targeted therapy.

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3 Increasing transmembrane capacity of drugs

• Some nanocarriers can increase the permeability
  of drugs to biofilms, allow them to pass certain
  physiological barriers (such as the blood-brain
  barrier), reach important target sites, and treat
  diseases in some special parts of the body. Many
  drugs that need to act on the brain, such as
  receptor-active drugs that act on the central
  nervous system, antineoplastics, and antibiotics,
  are difficult to cross the blood-brain barrier
  and cannot fully exert their effects.
  Nanoparticles made from special materials can
  carry these drugs across the blood-brain barrier.
  It has been reported that polyisobutyl-cyanoacryla
  te is made into nanospheres with appropriate
  dimensions and surface properties, and then
  loaded the surface of the nanospheres with
  polysorbate, the nanospheres can very effectively
  transport hexapeptide dalargin, dipeptide
  kyotorphin, doxorubicin and other drugs into the
  brain tissue. Some nanoparticles can serve as
  carriers through different types of mucosa and
  cells. For example, chitosan nanospheres can
  carry proteins, oligonucleotides and other
  biological macromolecules through different types
  of mucosa and epithelial cells.

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4 Controlling drug release

• Some nanoparticles can be biodegraded in the
  body. According to different controlled release
  purposes, these nano particles can be degraded to
  meet the specific needs of the human body by
  selecting appropriate materials and encapsulation
  processes. These nano particles can be degraded
  in specific organs or tissues, or at different
  degradation rates. The nano-controlled release
  system developed according to this characteristic
  of the nano-particles can encapsulate and embed
  the active pharmaceutical ingredients in the
  nano-particles, and control the release and
  absorption of the drugs by the degradation of the
  nano-particles or the change of the channels. The
  system can prolong the action time of the drug,
  improve bioavailability, and reduce adverse
  reactions, so that the drug can exert its maximum
  effect.

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5 Changing the route of administration

• Many biologically active molecules and vaccines
  are peptides, proteins or antisense nucleic
  acids. The physiological environment of the
  gastrointestinal tract and the epithelial cells
  of the gastrointestinal mucosa limit the
  bioavailability of these drugs. For example,
  insulin is quickly degraded by the enzymes of the
  gastrointestinal tract after oral administration
  and cannot exert its therapeutic effect.
  Therefore, many drugs still require intravenous
  injections to ensure efficacy. Using polymer
  nanoparticles as a drug carrier, drugs can be
  encapsulated in polymers to protect these drugs
  from being degraded or hydrolyzed by enzymes, so
  that drugs can be taken orally, and the amount
  and frequency of medication can be reduced,
  thereby alleviating the suffering of patients.