Emerging transporter-targeted nanoparticulate drug delivery systems

Transporter-targeted nanoparticulate drug delivery systems (nano-DDS) have emerged as promising nanoplatforms for efficient drug delivery. Recently, great progress in transporter-targeted strategies has been made, especially with the rapid developments in nanotherapeutics. In this review, we outline the recent advances in transporter-targeted nano-DDS. First, the emerging transporter-targeted nano-DDS developed to facilitate oral drug delivery are reviewed. These include improvements in the oral absorption of protein and peptide drugs, facilitating the intravenous-to-oral switch in cancer chemotherapy. Secondly, the recent advances in transporter-assisted brain-targeting nano-DDS are discussed, focusing on the specific transporter-based targeting strategies. Recent developments in transporter mediated tumor-targeting drug delivery are also discussed. Finally, the possible transport mechanisms involved in transporter-mediated endocytosis are highlighted, with special attention to the latest findings of the interactions between membrane transporters and nano-DDS. (C) 2019 Chinese Pharmaceutical Association and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ((http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)