Drug targeting to the diseased liver
Abstract
Many serious liver diseases affecting millions of people world-wide cannot be treated despite many efforts which warrants a search for new therapeutic strategies. Potent drugs may not be effective enough in vivo or exhibit adverse effects and enhanced delivery into the target cells may improve this significantly. We aim to summarize the available options for drug delivery to the different intrahepatic cell-types. The most relevant target cells are identified for each liver disease and the strategies for drug delivery to these cells are subsequently reviewed. The review describes the use of proteins, viruses, polymers and liposomes for therapeutic purposes in various liver diseases. It is shown that to date, all resident intrahepatic cells can be reached with several different drug carriers. Much progress has been made in recent years to deliver small drug molecules, proteins and nucleic acids specifically to the key pathogenic cells in vivo. The knowledge of drug targeting gained in the past decades, combined with a proper preclinical evaluation, may bring new therapeutics to the clinic in the near future.
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Intravenously administered liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles selectively accumulate in hepatic macrophages compared with other liver cell types in mice.
“Experimental studies using murine models have shown that intravenously administered liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles selectively accumulate in hepatic macrophages compared with other liver cell types (155, 156).”
From Targeting macrophages in liver fibrosis (2026) · cites this paper as [156]
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Targeting macrophages in liver fibrosis
González del Barrio, L., Ipsen, D. H., Pfister, D. R., Hancz, D., & Scott, C. L. (2026) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2026.1835489 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Experimental studies using murine models have shown that intravenously administered liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles selectively accumulate in hepatic macrophages compared with other liver cell types (155, 156).”
- Authors
- Poelstra, K., Prakash, J., & Beljaars, L.
- Affiliations
- University of Groningen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Poelstra, Klaas
- Venue
- Journal of Controlled Release
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-07
- Volume
- 161
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 188-197
- ISSN
- 0168-3659 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2071582651
- Cited by
- 172
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 0.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Controlled Release (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Keywords
- liver disease, targeted drug delivery, liposomes, polymers, viral vectors, carrier proteins, nucleic acid delivery, hepatocytes
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Bile Ducts, Humans, Kupffer Cells, Liver Diseases, Drug Delivery Systems, Hepatocytes, Hepatic Stellate Cells
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