Chapter 20 - Nanovesicles for delivery of antiviral agents

ABSTRACT

In the era of nanomedicine, the development of drug delivery technologies is being revolutionized. Nanomedicine allowed great enhancements in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of the drugs through the improvement of specific targeting of drugs and prolongation of their bioavailability in the body as compared to conventional therapy, and hence providing unique therapeutic approaches for eradicating viral diseases. Recently, nanosystems for delivery of antiviral agents have been extensively explored. The application of nanovesicles as drug carriers witnessed tremendous advancement and presented a paradigm shift in nanomedicine. This chapter displays the large plethora of nanovesicles available, and their fabrication and characterization techniques. In addition, the current applications of nanovesicles in nanomedicine are extensively reviewed, along with the challenges they possess. The chapter also expounds on the research and application of nanovesicles for delivery of antiviral agents to attack viral infections, such as influenza, HIV, and the most recent COVID-19. Highlights on antiviral monotherapies, currently approved or still undergoing clinical investigations, are also discussed. Alongside expanding on the current state of conventional nanovesicles, a specific focus is given to the studies investigating biomimetic nanovesicles and exosomes, due to their high potential in antiviral therapy. Finally, future perspectives are discussed aiming to translate the outstanding research outcome into clinical settings.