Lymphatic Drug Delivery System and Lipid-based Nanoformulations: Savior to Save for Patients Receiving Highly Hepatotoxic Drugs.

Abstract

The liver plays a vital role in regulating normal physiological processes in the body. Liver dysfunction can lead to mild to severe pathological conditions and, in some cases, death. To date, more than 900 drugs, toxins, and herbs have been identified with the potential to cause various liver diseases, including acute liver damage, cholestatic jaundice, hepatic granulomas, active chronic hepatitis, and hepatic tumors. A wide range of liver dysfunction results from drug consumption and is referred to as drug-induced liver injury (DILI). DILI significantly contributes to the immediate withdrawal of drugs from the mar-ket. Due to its numerous advantages, the oral route has long been the preferred method of drug administration, although these medicines increase the risk of liver damage. Novel drug delivery approaches, such as the lymphatic drug delivery system and lipid-based nanofor-mulations-including solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers-can bypass the liver, reducing the toxic effects of various drugs. Therefore, SLNs represent a promising strategy for lymphatic drug delivery, particularly for hepatocompromised pa-tients and those taking hepatotoxic drugs. This review summarizes how lymphatic drug delivery systems and lipid-based nanoformulations can benefit hepatocompromised pa-tients and individuals on hepatotoxic medications.