A new article published in BIO Integration on Apr. 2 discusses recent advances in the use of nanomedicine to improve the delivery and effectiveness of anthelmintic drugs, which are used to treat parasitic infections. The World Health Organization reports that parasitic infections have a significant impact globally, leading to more than 16 million deaths each year in developing countries.
The article highlights that common helminthic infections such as trichomoniasis, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, and toxoplasmosis are typically treated with a combination of anthelmintics and antibiotics. This approach aims to achieve synergistic effects against these diseases. However, one key anthelmintic drug, Albendazole (ABZ), is noted for its low solubility, which can limit its effectiveness.
Anthelmintics are classified under biopharmaceutics classification system class II drugs. As a result, both conventional methods and newer nanomedicine techniques are being explored to enhance their properties and improve therapeutic outcomes.
The review presented in the article examined existing literature on the benefits of various anthelmintics. It also discussed how the development of nanomedicine formulations for ABZ has occurred alongside efforts to repurpose this drug as a treatment for different types of cancer—including colon cancer, brain tumors, malignant melanoma, and breast cancer—either with or without nanoformulation.
