Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jun 15:11:2867-72.
doi: 10.2147/IJN.S105852. eCollection 2016.

A brief perspective on the diverging theories of lymphatic targeting with colloids

Karthik Siram  1 , Gregory Marslin  2 , Chellan Vijaya Raghavan  1 , Krishnamoorthy Balakumar  1 , Habibur Rahman  1 , Gregory Franklin  3
Affiliations

A brief perspective on the diverging theories of lymphatic targeting with colloids

Karthik Siram et al. Int J Nanomedicine. .

Abstract

For targeted delivery of colloids to the lymphatic system, the colloids should efficiently reach and remain in the lymphatics for a considerable period of time. As per the current knowledge, diffusion and phagocytosis are the two mechanisms through which colloids reach the lymphatic system. Several parameters including particle size and charge have been shown to affect the direct uptake of colloids by the lymphatic system. Although many researchers attached ligands on the surface of colloids to promote phagocytosis-mediated lymphatic delivery, another school of thought suggests avoidance of phagocytosis by use of carriers like polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated colloids to impart stealth attributes and evade phagocytosis. In this perspective, we weigh up the paradoxical theories and approaches available in the literature to draw conclusions on the conditions favorable for achieving efficient lymphatic targeting of colloids.

Keywords: PEGylation; colloids; lymphatic targeting; phagocytosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of the kinetics of colloids in interstitial fluid. Notes: × denotes does not occur. ? denotes the fate remains skeptical.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cho H-Y, Lee Y-B. Nano-sized drug delivery systems for lymphatic delivery. J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2014;14(1):868–880. - PubMed
    1. Hawley AE, Davis SS, Illum L. Targeting of colloids to lymph nodes: Influence of lymphatic physiology and colloidal characteristics. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 1995;17(1):129–148.
    1. Siram K, Chellan VR, Natarajan T, et al. Solid lipid nanoparticles of diethylcarbamazine citrate for enhanced delivery to the lymphatics: in vitro and in vivo evaluation. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2014;11(9):1351–1365. - PubMed
    1. Sheeba CJ, Marslin G, Revina AM, Franklin G. Signaling pathways influencing tumor microenvironment and their exploitation for targeted drug delivery. Nanotechnol Rev. 2014;3(2):123–151.
    1. Oussoren C, Storm G. Liposomes to target the lymphatics by subcutaneous administration. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2001;50(1–2):143–156. - PubMed