Nanostructured Delivery Systems: Augmenting the Delivery of Antiretroviral Drugs for Better Management of HIV/AIDS.

In the last two decades, HIV-1, the retrovirus associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is globally one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, existing approaches for interventions are not able to suppress the progression of infection due to this virus. Of the many obstacles, viral entry into the mono-nuclear phagocyte system encompassing monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells is a major concern. Viral infection is also responsible for the subsequent distribution of the virus into various tissues throughout the organism. Tremendous progress has been made during the past few years to diagnose and treat patients with HIV/AIDS infection, yet much remains to be done. Recommended treatment involves long-term and multiple drug therapy that causes severe side effects. With almost 12% of the world population suffering from HIV/AIDS, better management of this global threat is highly desired. Nanostructured delivery systems hold promise for improving the situation. Such systems can facilitate the uptake of antiretroviral drugs, causing a considerable improvement in HIV/AIDS therapy. Nanoscale systems have intriguing potential to drastically improve existing HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment platforms. Nanosystems constitute a wide range of systems varying from polymeric nanoparticles, to solid-lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, micro- and nanoemulsions, dendrimers, and self-nanoemulsifying systems. Improved bioavailability, solubility, stability, and biocompatibility make them an ideal choice for delivery of antiretroviral drugs. The present review initially describes an updated bird's-eye view account of the literature. Then, we provide a relatively sententious overview on updated patents of recent nanostructured delivery systems for antiretroviral drugs. Finally, we discuss low-cost therapy (such as antioxidants and immune modulators) for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS.