Copyright © 2012 Vinod Kumar Khanna. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The role of targeting of the diseased region by a drug is emphasized. The rationale for resorting to nanomaterials as drug carriers is explained. A clear understanding of the biological environment, its degradation in diseased condition, and the interaction of the drug with it in normal condition and during illness lie at the core of successful drug delivery. Passive and active drug targeting approaches are differentiated. Commonly used drug targets, targeting ligands, and nanoscale systems are elaborated. Mechanisms of internalization of nanomedicines and circumventing P-glycoprotein mediated resistance are outlined. The paper presents an overview of the current scenario of targeted transportation of nanomedicines to the affected organ and suggests future research directions.