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Actively Targeted Nanomedicines: A New Perspective for the Treatment of Pregnancy-Related Diseases

  • Pregnancy: Review
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Abstract

More than 20% of pregnant women experience serious complications during pregnancy, that gravely affect the safety of both the mother and the child. Due to the unique state of pregnancy, medication during pregnancy is subject to various restrictions. Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that has been the focus of extensive medical research, and great progress has recently been made in developing sensitive diagnostic modalities and efficient medical treatment. Accumulating evidence has shown that nanodrug delivery systems can significantly improve the targeting, reduce the toxicity and improve the bioavailability of drugs. Recently, some actively targeted nanomedicines have been explored in the treatment of pregnancy-related diseases. This article reviews common types of nanocarriers and active targeting ligands in common pregnancy-related diseases and complications such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, and choriocarcinoma. Finally, the challenges and future prospects in the development of these nanomaterials are discussed, with the aim of providing guidance for future research directions.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Figdraw (www.figdraw.com) for help in creating the schematic figure.

Funding

This work was funded by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFC2704600), Central Government Guiding Local Science and Technology Development Foundation of Shandong Province (Grant No. YDZX2022096), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.81741038) and Jinan Science and Technology Program(Grant No.202134014).

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  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan, 250021, China

    Hui Yang

  2. Shandong Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 324 Jingwu Road, Jinan, 250021, China

    Shan Wang

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  1. Hui Yang
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HY reviewed the literature and drafted the manuscript. SW made critical revisions. All authors read and approved the manuscript for publication.

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Yang, H., Wang, S. Actively Targeted Nanomedicines: A New Perspective for the Treatment of Pregnancy-Related Diseases. Reprod. Sci. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-024-01520-z

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