Nanoparticulate systems for sustained delivery of paracrine factors

Abstract There is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating the importance of paracrine factors in a wide range of diseases. Paracrine factors such as growth factors and cytokines are soluble signaling proteins synthesized and secreted by cells and can diffuse over short distances to induce changes in neighboring cells. They act locally and show short and slow diffusion in the extracellular matrix to interact with their receptors to activate signaling pathways that control a variety of cellular processes such as proliferation, survival, migration, and differentiation. This chapter provides the latest advances in the development of different nanoparticulate systems for the delivery of paracrine factors to increase availability, preserve bioactivity, functionality and stability, and control release of paracrine factors to the region of interest.