Abstract
Drug‐delivery systems (DDSs), in which drug encapsulation in nanoparticles enables targeted delivery of therapeutic agents and their release at specific disease sites, are important because they improve drug efficacy and help to decrease side effects. Although significant progress has been made in the development of DDSs for the treatment of a wide range of diseases, new approaches that increase the scope and effectiveness of such systems are still needed. Concepts such as nanoreactors and nanofactories are therefore attracting much attention. Nanoreactors, which basically consist of vesicle‐encapsulated enzymes, provide prodrug conversion to therapeutic agents rather than simple drug delivery. Nanofactories are an extension of this concept and combine the features of nanoreactors and delivery carriers. Here, the required features of nanofactories are discussed and an overview of current strategies for the design and fabrication of different types of nanoreactors, i.e., systems based on lipid or polymer vesicles, capsules, mesoporous silica, viral capsids, and hydrogels, and their respective advantages and shortcomings, is provided. In vivo applications of biocatalytic reactors in the treatment of cancer, glaucoma, neuropathic pain, and alcohol intoxication are also discussed. Finally, the prospects for further progress in this important and promising field are outlined.
Highlights
The development of drug-delivery systems (DDSs) has attracted significant attention over the last 40 years
Because of their low permeability, externally added substrates hardly permeate into lipid vesicle interiors, the enzyme reaction cannot occur inside the vesicles.[23]
In addition to enzyme entrapment, compartments acting as therapeutic biocatalytic nanoreactors must fulfill the five requirements listed in the introduction
Summary
The development of drug-delivery systems (DDSs) has attracted significant attention over the last 40 years. Nanofactories can transport enzymes to intracellular environments, at which toxic materials or prodrugs are selectively permeated inside the nanofactories and transformed into harmless compounds or native drugs Such in situ production of therapeutic drugs and detoxification has distinct advantages over conventional DDSs, namely a reduction in unwanted side effects and enhanced therapeutic efficacy. Need to be fulfilled by such nanofactories (i.e., therapeutic biocatalytic reactors): 1) the presence of a structural compartment; 2) transportation of specific molecules to and from the outer environment; 3) accumulation at the target site; 4) enzyme encapsulation, and 5) self-destruction in response to an external trigger. The construction of such nanofactories is a great challenge. We will highlight some of the challenges in the use of biocatalytic reactors for in vivo medical applications
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