Targeted drug delivery for maternal and perinatal health: Challenges and opportunities

Anjali Sharma; Nirnath Sah; Sujatha Kannan; Rangaramanujam M Kannan

doi:10.1016/j.addr.2021.113950

Targeted drug delivery for maternal and perinatal health: Challenges and opportunities

Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2021 Oct:177:113950. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.113950. Epub 2021 Aug 26.

Authors

Anjali Sharma¹, Nirnath Sah², Sujatha Kannan³, Rangaramanujam M Kannan⁴

Affiliations

¹ Center for Nanomedicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA.
² Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
³ Center for Nanomedicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc., Baltimore MD, 21205, USA.
⁴ Center for Nanomedicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc., Baltimore MD, 21205, USA; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD, 21218, USA. Electronic address: krangar1@jhmi.edu.

Abstract

Pre-existing conditions at reproductive age, and complications arising during pregnancy can be detrimental to maternal and fetal health. Current therapies to combat obstetric disorders are limited due to the inherent complexity of pregnancy, and can have harmful effects on developing fetus. Emerging research shows intricate signaling between the cells from mother and fetus at maternal-fetal interface, providing unique opportunities for interventions specifically targeted to the mother, fetus, or placenta. Advancements in nanotechnology, stem-cell biology and gene therapy have resulted in target-specific treatments with promising results in pre-clinical maternal and fetal disorder models. Comprehensive understanding of the effect of physicochemical properties of delivery systems on their uptake, retention and accumulation across placenta will help in the better diagnosis and treatment of perinatal disorders. This review describes the factors leading to obstetric complications along with their effect on pregnancy outcomes, and discusses key targeted therapeutic strategies for addressing conditions related to maternal and fetal health.

Keywords: Maternal and fetal nanomedicine; Nanoparticles; Obstetric complications; Perinatal health; Targeted drug delivery.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Diagnostic Imaging
Drug Delivery Systems*
Female
Humans
Maternal Health*
Nanostructures / administration & dosage
Perinatal Care*
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Outcome
Risk Assessment

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding