By using conventional drug delivery system such as consuming medicine orally or through injection, the medicine is distributed throughout the organs and affect the whole body which would in turn develop side effects on other parts of the body. On the other hand, the large size of the drug particles and its inability to pass through cell membranes necessitates the consumption of a large dose of medicine which will in turn cause high toxicity in the body.
Dr. Gholamreza Mahdavinia, the project manager, noted that nanotechnology can pave the way to a targeted drug delivery system, adding “the general aim of the present research was to produce targeted nanodrug for treating intestinal diseases in humans that would simultaneously show sensitivity toward the PH of the gastrointestinal tract as well as the external magnetic field.”
According to him, the time, location and speed of releasing the nano drug into the targeted tissue can be easily controlled.
“The half-life of the drug in the bloodstream will increase and the toxicity of its absorption will decrease, therefore using this new targeted drug delivery system will result in less side effects, better efficiency, and the patient’s satisfaction and comfort,” he said.
According to Mahdavinia, the synthesized nano drug has magnetic properties which enables it to be guided toward the target tissue by applying an external magnetic field.
“The Magnetic nanoparticle drug carriers are coated with nanhydrophilic polysaccharide carboxymethyl chitosan and Carrageenans. This coating can preserve the biomedical properties of the nanoparticles,” he said.
Another important result from Mahdavinia’s research is the sensitivity of the drug delivery system to the alternating external magnetic field. According to the observed results, with increasing the magnetic field, the amount of drug released into the tissue also increases, a characteristic that can be used in cancer treatment.
Results of the research have been published in Carbohydrate Polymers, vol. 128, 2015, pp. 112-121.
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