Page 10 - My FlipBook

medicine carriers as small as 20 to 100 nm across, or fi fty to fi ve
hundred times smaller than an average human cell. This was nec-
essary because experts found that the smaller the nanoparticle,
the easier it is for it to latch onto a cell. At that point, scientists
learned, the cell begins absorbing the drug-laden nanoparticle.
The particle passes through the cell’s outer membrane, and after
that the medicine carrier’s own outer coating dissolves, releasing
its contents into the cell’s interior.
Beyond simple liposomes, scientists have been experimenting
with all sorts of materials in making nanoparticles to carry medi-
cines. These range from metals like gold, silver, and aluminum to
carbon, silicon, clay, and numerous other substances. Some of
those materials have produced various toxic side effects on the
body, such as high fever and liver damage. So a certain amount
of the research presently being conducted in this area strives to
fi nd ways to avoid such unwanted effects. This is one major rea-
son that the medical community has not yet
largely shifted to nanoparticles for the bulk of Liposomes (depicted in a 3D
rendering) have been altered
drug delivery. However, experts are confi dent for use as microscopic
medicine carriers within the
body. Researchers are doing
the same with even smaller
nanoparticles.