Delivery Strategy to Enhance the Therapeutic Efficacy of Liver Fibrosis via Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

Liver fibrosis (LF) is a pathological repair reaction caused by a chronic liver injury that affects the health of millions of people worldwide, progressing to life-threatening cirrhosis and liver cancer without timely intervention. Due to the complexity of LF pathology, multiple etiological characteristics, and the deposited extracellular matrix, traditional drugs cannot reach appropriate targets in a time-space matching way, thus decreasing the therapeutic effect. Nanoparticle drug delivery systems (NDDS) enable multidrug co-therapy and develop multifactor delivery strategies targeting pathological processes, showing great potential in LF therapy. Based on the pathogenesis and the current clinical treatment status of LF, we systematically elucidate the targeting mechanism of NDDS used in the treatment of LF. Subsequently, we focus on the progress of drug delivery applications for LF, including combined delivery for the liver fibrotic pathological environment, overcoming biological barriers, precise intracellular regulation, and intelligent responsive delivery for the liver fibrotic microenvironment. We hope that this review will inspire the rational design of NDDS for LF in the future in order to provide ideas and methods for promoting LF regression and cure.

Keywords: Delivery strategy; Drug delivery mechanism; Hepatic stellate cell; Lipid nanoparticles; Liver fibrosis; Liver targeting; Nanoparticle drug delivery system; Nanovector.