Background: The specific targeting of nanomedicines to mannose receptors, highly expressed in cells of the immune system, performs a useful strategy for improving the efficacy of vaccines and chemotherapy.
Objective: This review discusses the potential of mannose-targeted drug/antigen delivery systems for vaccination and treatment of diseases localized in macrophages and other antigen-presenting cells.
Methods: The first part of the review describes the characteristics, localization and functions of mannose receptors. The following sections are devoted to the description of different methods used to deliver therapeutic agents, including mannose conjugates and mannosylated carriers or particulates (i.e., liposomes, nanoparticles and niosomes).
Results/conclusions: A general overview of published reports confirms the effectiveness of mannosylation strategies, although the optimization and full exploitation of mannose-targeted drug delivery systems would require a deeper understanding of the structure-activity relationship. In the near future, these nanomedicines have the potential to treat a number of diseases (including cancer) and improve the quality of life of patients.