Potential for treating tuberculosis with nano drug delivery system

Abstract

A nanometre (nm) is a unit of measurement equal to a billionth of a metre, tens of thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair. The prefix “nano” comes from the Greek word meaning “dwarf”. A micrometre (μm) is a unit of length equal to one thousandth (10-3) of a millimetre or one millionth (10-6) of a metre. Nanoscience is the study of the fundamental principles of molecules and structures with at least one dimension roughly between 1 and 100 nm. It is concerned with materials and systems of which the structures and components exhibit novel and significantly improved physical, chemical and biological properties, phenomena and processes, due to their nanoscale size. Nanotechnology is the application of nanoscience in technology devices. The essence of nanotechnology is the ability to work at the molecular level, atom by atom, to create large structures with fundamentally new molecular organisation. The advantages of Nano Drug Delivery System (DDS) have made it possible to extend the residence time in the GIT to weeks. High encapsulation efficiency, good bioavailability and reduce dose frequency, and gives the ability to target the drug. Smallest capillaries in the body are 5-6μm. Typical human cell is 2μm hence, nanoparticles can move easily within the body. Once Optimised for TB - NDDS can be applied for treatment of anti-Malaria drugs, anti-Cancer drugs, anti-Retrovirus Antibiotics and long term pain killers just to name a few.