Nanotechnology: A focus on Treatment of Tuberculosis

Despite the fact that we live in an era of advanced technology and innovation, infectious diseases, like Tuberculosis (TB), continue to be one of the greatest health challenges worldwide. The main drawbacks of conventional TB treatment are the development of multiple drug resistance, resulting in high dose requirements and subsequent intolerable toxicity. Therefore there is a need of a new system have been receiving special attention with the aim of minimizing the side effects of drug therapy, such as poor bioavailability and the selectivity of drugs. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have considerable potential for treatment of TB. The important technological advantages of nanoparticles used as drug carriers are high stability, high carrier capacity, feasibility of incorporation of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances, and feasibility of variable routes of administration, including oral application and inhalation. Nanoparticles can also be designed to allow controlled (sustained) drug release from the matrix. These properties of nanoparticles enable improvement of drug bioavailability and reduction of the dosing frequency, and may resolve the problem of nonadherence to prescribed therapy, which is one of the major obstacles in the control of TB epidemics. In this review, we discuss the challenges with the current treatment of the disease and shed light on the remarkable potential of nanotechnology to provide more effective treatment and prevention for TB. Keywords: Tuberculosis; Nanotechnology; liposome; Polymeric nanoparticle; non-polymeric nanoparticle.