ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews progress made in red blood cell (RBC)-based hybrid nanosystems, focusing on their fabrication methods, unique attributes and applications as targeted and prolonged drug delivery systems. RBCs or erythrocytes are the most abundant, long circulating cells in the human body functioning as biological oxygen carriers. With a high plasma membrane surface area and extended lifespans, RBCs represent potentially attractive and in some aspects, unique cargo carriers for intravascular delivery, prolonging drug circulation and restricting unintended extravasation. Phagocytic activity of the Kupffer cells can be repressed either by receptor depletion/saturation or by inaccessibility to the ligands. Modifying the surface of the nanoparticles with a range of nonionic surfactants or polymeric macromolecules to prevent opsonization of serum proteins and phagocytosis is the most widely used and successful strategy for prolonging the blood residence time of the particles.
