Title:Dequalinium-Derived Nanoconstructs: A Promising Vehicle for Mitochondrial Targeting
Volume: 18
Issue: 8
Author(s): Abhishek Pawar, Swati Korake and Kavita R. Gajbhiye*
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Poona College of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Erandwane, Pune-411038,India
Keywords:
Dequalinium chloride, dQAsomes, mitochondrial targeting, nanocarrier System, vesicular nanosystem, nanoparticles.
Abstract: The cell's power house, mitochondrion, is a vital organelle for drug targeting in the treatment
of many diseases due to its fundamental duties and function related to cell proliferation and
death. The mitochondrial membrane comprises bilayer artifact and poses extremely negative potential,
creating hurdles for therapeutic molecules in reaching mitochondria. To accomplish mitochondrial
targeting, the scientific community has explored diverse pharmaceutical formulations like liposomes,
polymeric nanoparticles (NPs), and inorganic NPs. However, the game changing technology
was a modification of these carriers by mitochondriotropic moiety, dequalinium chloride
(DQA) or delivering the chemotherapeutics by DQAsomes. The DQA represents a distinctive mitochondriotropic
delocalized cation that displays their selectivity towards accumulation in mitochondria
of carcinoma cells. Attributed to this characteristics, DQAsomes have been formulated using
DQA and explored for successful mitochondrial targeting of bioactives. In this review, it is discussed
the effectiveness of DQA nanocarriers which efficiently and selectively transmit the cytotoxic
drug to the tumor cell. The DQA based nanoformulations have evidently displayed augmented
pharmacological and therapeutic outcomes than their counterparts both in vitro and in vivo. Thus,
DQAsomes symbolizes an ideal carrier with excellent potential as mitochondrial targeting agent.
