Approaches to erythrocyte-mediated drug delivery

Introduction: Drug delivery by means of erythrocytes is becoming a growing field with applications that in recent years have moved from the laboratory to the clinic. Several reviews have been published in recent years and have well illustrated the developments and the different fields of application. In this paper we have summarized the techniques that make the bases for these developments and provided illustrative examples on how the erythrocytes can be used in drug delivery. Areas covered: We have illustrated the possibility of using erythrocytes for the slow delivery in circulation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), for the encapsulation of those ingredients that must remain confined within the erythrocyte, the encapsulation of drug-binding proteins (or protein domain) able to reversibly bind drugs of interest and for coupling of APIs on the surface of carrier erythrocytes. Expert opinion: Since many years erythrocytes are recognized as powerful cellular carriers for drugs. In this review, we briefly summarize different approaches that can be used to take advantage of these natural carriers. It is shown that several different APIs can be delivered by way of erythrocytes but the selection of the technique to be employed is crucial for a successful development. The examples illustrated can guide in selecting the most appropriate way of using erythrocytes as delivery systems.