Effects of polyethylene glycol on the surface of nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery.

The rapid development of drug nanocarriers has benefited from the surface hydrophilic polymers of particles, which has improved the pharmacokinetics of the drugs. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a kind of polymeric material with unique hydrophilicity and electrical neutrality. PEG coating is a crucial factor to improve the biophysical and chemical properties of nanoparticles and is widely studied.

Kidney-targeted astaxanthin natural antioxidant nanosystem for diabetic nephropathy therapy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a frequent and severe microvascular complication associated with oxidative stress of diabetes mellitus. A novel astaxanthin-based natural antioxidant nanosystem, namely AST-GLU-LIP, with preferential renal uptake and bioavailability were prepared and applied for treatment of diabetic nephropathy in rats. Our results of kidney-targeted evaluation showed that glucose-PEG-DSPE ligand modified AST liposomes could be specifically transported by overexpressed GLUT1 on the membrane of glomerular mesangial cells and achieved excellent kidney-targeted drug delivery.