Chapter 15 - Nanopharmaceuticals to target antifilarials: Administration of old age drugs in a novel way

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Abstract

Nanopharmaceuticals are an emerging field of medicine and/or health care practices where the sizes of the drug particles or therapeutic delivery systems are effective at the nanoscale. These are efficient in better delivery and/or release of drugs to the targeted area that completely subsides the flaws and incompetence of the conventional therapeutics. The conventional chemotherapies for combating lymphatic filariasis (LF) are deficient as they could only target the microfilarial stage of the filarial parasites; moreover, the drugs currently available are poorly water-soluble. Effective treatment practice for LF requires to target specific drug delivery within the multifarious anatomy of the lymphatic system inside the host body and with reduced toxicity. The present chapter focuses on the limitations of the conventional antifilarials and how they can be reformulated by mixing with nanotechnology, just to enhance the efficacy in terms of both delivery and release with improved drug efficacy, increased bioavailability, and diminished toxicity.

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    Citation Excerpt :

    To deal with the disease, extensive research works have revealed handful of chemicals of both natural and synthetic origins that are known to be effective against the filarial parasites, however unfortunately they are not in use yet [5,6]. Diethyl carbamazine citrate, ivermectin, albendazole, doxycycline, suramin, levamisole are in use as antifilarials but are associated with major drawbacks such as poor solubility, small plasma half-life, wide bio-distribution, instability, low gastrointestinal tract uptake, rapid clearance by the immune cells, lower molecular weight, toxicity and various adverse side effects [7–10]. Therapeutic molecules with greater adulticidal effectiveness as well as less toxicity profiles are of choice.

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