Theranostics 2020; 10(3):1262-1280. doi:10.7150/thno.38834 This issue Cite
Review
1. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, People's Republic of China;
2. Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510120, People's Republic of China.
*Co-first author
Liver is the principal detoxifying organ and metabolizes various compounds that produce free radicals (FR) constantly. To maintain the oxidative/antioxidative balance in the liver, antioxidants would scavenge FR by preventing tissue damage through FR formation, scavenging, or by enhancing their decomposition. The disruption of this balance therefore leads to oxidative stress and in turn leads to the onset of various diseases. Supplying the liver with exogeneous antioxidants is an effective way to recreate the oxidative/antioxidative balance in the liver homeostasis. Nevertheless, due to the short half-life and instability of antioxidants in circulation, the methodology for delivering antioxidants to the liver needs to be improved. Nanocarrier mediated delivery of antioxidants proved to be an ingenious way to safely and efficiently deliver a high payload of antioxidants into the liver for circumventing liver diseases. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the role of reactive oxygen species (oxidant) and ROS scavengers (antioxidant) in liver diseases. Subsequently, current nanocarrier mediated antioxidant delivery methods for liver diseases are discussed.
Keywords: Liver disease, ROS, antioxidant, nanocarrier.