Recent Avenues in Treatment of Liver Diseases: Role of Nanotechnology

Abstract

Background: Worldwide, millions of people are affected by liver disorders and issues, and the successful treatment of patients seems challenging even after many treatment strategies. Presently, doctors are left with treatments like liver transplantation and resection. Researchers found it challenging to target the liver due to various drawbacks such as opsonization, mechanical entrapment, and RES uptake.

Methods: Literature (from the past ten years) on different research data on the treatment of liver diseases and study reports on the development of various nanocarriers targeting the liver have been collected using multiple search engines such as ScienceDirect, j-gate, google scholar, PubMed, scihub, etc. and data have been compiled accordingly.

Results: The basics of liver anatomy and various liver cells and pathophysiology of liver diseases, and liver targeting have been mentioned better to understand the further treatment of various liver disorders. Various Liver diseases such as hepatitis B, liver fibrosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, acute liver failure, and liver cirrhosis have been detailed in multiple research studies related to their treatment. Various strategies for active and passive liver targeting have also been overviewed. Several advanced reported nanocarriers (liposomes, polymeric micelles, nanoparticles, micro and nanoemulsions, and phytosomes) are mentioned and their potential in treating liver disorders has been summarized by compiling research reports related to these nanocarriers.

Conclusion: The fabrication of nanomedicine incorporating nanocarriers and biomaterials for treating liver diseases is a big challenge. Understanding various aspects of liver anatomy and liver cells is the prime requirement while designing successful liver-targeted nano/microcarriers. Also, the choice of advanced or modified polymeric material in liver targeting is very crucial for their specific liver cell targeting, for their biocompatibility and biodegradability point of view.

Keywords: Epithelial cells; Liver cirrhosis; Liver targeting; Nanocarriers; Stellate cells; hepatocytes.