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Review
. 2024 Oct 7;25(19):10766.
doi: 10.3390/ijms251910766.

Advancements in Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Sarcopenia: An Updated Overview

Alfred Najm  1   2 , Elena-Theodora Moldoveanu  3 , Adelina-Gabriela Niculescu  3   4 , Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu  3   4 , Mircea Beuran  1   2 , Bogdan Severus Gaspar  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Advancements in Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Sarcopenia: An Updated Overview

Alfred Najm et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Since sarcopenia is a progressive condition that leads to decreased muscle mass and function, especially in elderly people, it is a public health problem that requires attention from researchers. This review aims to highlight drug delivery systems that have a high and efficient therapeutic potential for sarcopenia. Current as well as future research needs to consider the barriers encountered in the realization of delivery systems, such as the route of administration, the interaction of the systems with the aggressive environment of the human body, the efficient delivery and loading of the systems with therapeutic agents, and the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents into the muscle tissue without creating undesirable adverse effects. Thus, this paper sets the framework of existing drug delivery possibilities for the treatment of sarcopenia, serving as an inception point for future interdisciplinary studies.

Keywords: aging of muscle; drug delivery; muscles; sarcopenia; treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of targeted drug delivery mechanisms. (A) Passive targeting; (B) active targeting.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic of a drug delivery system’s action through the mucus layer. (A) Transcellular transport; (B) paracellular transport. Created based on information from [36,37,38].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Skin layers (a) and molecule’s absorption through skin layers (b). Reprinted from an open-access source [66].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Main purposes of nanomedicine. Reprinted from an open-access source [83].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Classification of organic nanoparticles. (A) Dendrimers; (B) liposomes; (C) micelles; (D) ferritin. Reprinted from an open-access source [89].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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