ABSTRACT
Keywords: HIV-1, blood-brain barrier, antiretroviral, Atazanavir, biodegrad-able, biopolymers, PLGA, biocompatible, nanoformulation, nanotechnology, nanocarriers, neuro-AIDS, central nervous system, THP-1 monocytic cell line, targeted drug delivery, drug release, latent HIV reservoirs, central nerv-ous system, viral sequestration, brain targeting, transmigration, HIV-associ-ated neurological disorders
(BBB) to eliminate latent CNS reservoir continues to be a major roadblock in AIDS therapy [1-3]. Nanotechnology can revolutionize the field of HIV medicine by improving delivery of antiretroviral drugs to targeted regions in the body and by significantly enhancing the efficacy of the currently available antiretroviral medication [1-15]. Nanotechnology-based delivery systems are being developed to target the virus within different tissue compartments and are being evaluated for safety and efficacy [11, 13, 14, 16-18]. Development of biocompatible nanoformulations that can target HIV-1 in sequestered sites requires the use of functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) that are engineered to deliver drugs to specific sites in the body where the virus is sequestered such as the brain [4, 5, 15, 19, 20]. Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly improved the prognosis for HIV infected patients, however, adverse side effects and adherence associated with prolonged HAART therapy remain major challenges in HIV therapy [21]. Transporters such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs), which are present on the BBB and on many circulating cells such as lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages, are involved in the extrusion of HIV protease inhibitors from cells [22].
