Delivery of growth factor‐based therapeutics in vascular diseases: Challenges and strategies

• Published in: Biotechnology journal 2017-05, Vol.12 (5), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Xu, He‐Lin, Yu, Wen‐Ze, Lu, Cui‐Tao, Li, Xiao‐Kun, Zhao, Ying‐Zheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - therapy; Drug Delivery Systems; Growth factors; Humans; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - administration & dosage; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - therapeutic use; Mice; Nanomedicine; Scaffolds; Stem Cell Transplantation; Stem cells; Tissue Scaffolds; Vascular diseases
• ISSN: 1860-6768; 1860-7314
• DOI: 10.1002/biot.201600243

Either cardiovascular or peripheral vascular diseases have become the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recently, growth factors therapeutics, whatever administrated in form of exogenous growth factors or their relevant genes have been discovered to be an effective strategy for the prevention and therapy of vascular diseases, because of their promoting angiogenesis. Besides, as an alternative, stem cell‐based therapy has been also developed in view of their paracrine‐mediated effect or ability of differentiation toward angiogenesis‐related cells under assistance of growth factors. Despite of being specific and potent, no matter growth factors or stem cells‐based therapy, their full clinical transformation is limited from bench to bedside. In this review, the potential choices of therapeutic modes based on types of different growth factors or stem cells were firstly summarized for vascular diseases. The confronted various challenges such as lack of non‐invasive delivery method, the physiochemical challenge, the short half‐life time, and poor cell survival, were carefully analyzed for these therapeutic modes. Various strategies to overcome these limitations are put forward from the perspective of drug delivery. The expertised design of a suitable delivery form will undoubtedly provide valuable insight into their clinical application in the regenerative medicine. Recently, growth factors therapeutics, whatever administrated by in form of exogenous growth factors or their relevant genes or cell‐based therapy have been discovered to be an effective strategy for the prevention and therapy of vascular diseases, because of their promoting angiogenesis. Despite of being specific and potent, their full clinical transformation is limited from bench to bedside because of the confronting challenges. Various strategies including polymeric hydrogel and Nano/microcarrier to overcome these limitations are put forward from the perspective of drug delivery.