Light-triggered nanoparticles for pain management

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Recent technological progress in pain management includes patient´s stratification depending on their disease subtype, prognosis, risk, or treatment response using data analysis and genetic testing in order to select the most appropriate drug for each group. A spatiotemporal control on the release of the selected anesthetic drug is also desirable in order to minimize side effects and to provide the patient with the appropriate dose above the therapeutic threshold and below the maximum desirable concentration. Light can be used non-invasively as an exogenous trigger to allow multiple drug administrations with precise spatiotemporal control. By controlling light fluence/irradiance, pulse structure, and duration of the irradiation drug release kinetics can be controlled in a pulsatile manner to release totally or partially the drug loaded into particulate carriers.

Areas covered

Recent advances in the field of light-triggered nanoparticles used in pain management specially those studies which include preclinical models are reviewed.

Expert opinion

Two decades later after the first light-sensitive drug delivery systems reported still several limitations hinder their clinical translation. Additional efforts should be undertaken to understand the nanoparticles biological fate, to satisfy their large-scale production, and to facilitate the technology to apply this therapeutic approach at a low cost.

KEYWORDS:

• Analgesia
• anesthetics
• drug delivery
• light
• nanomedicine
• nanoparticles
• NSAIDs
• opioids
• pain
• toxins

Article highlights

• Light-triggered drug delivery represents an advanced strategy for pain management having spatio-temporal control of the release

• The materials design, the type of light, and the irradiance used are key factors to release sufficient drug avoiding the carrier collapse and ensuring subsequent repeated regimens

• Further studies may involve novel materials to achieve the key goals in order to obtain pulsatile on-demand drug release

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the ERC Consolidator Grant program [ERC-2013-CoG-614715, NANOHEDONISM]. G.M. acknowledges the support from the Miguel Servet Program (MS19/00092; Instituto de Salud Carlos III).