ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. The ongoing complications that result from CVD greatly contribute to the economic burden on the health care system and on society as a whole. CVD is caused by disorders of the heart and blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery disease, heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, raised blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, and congenital heart disease. Proteins, due to their limited bioactivity, short half-life, pharmacokinetic properties, and instability, require specialized delivery modalities. However, reports of heart-specific drug delivery vehicles are scarce. Thus, there is an unmet need for cardiac drug delivery technologies able to administer biopharmaceuticals. Drug delivery systems (DDS) could also play an important role in multiple GF therapy since they can be made of different materials and can incorporate two or more therapeutic proteins with different release profiles.
