Nanomedicine for Inner Ear Diseases: A Review of Recent In Vivo Studies

Table 3

Studies attempting to deliver growth factors to the inner ear using nanoparticles.

Nanoparticle	Size of nanoparticle	Animal	Administration route	Loaded drug or gene	Evaluation time	Evaluation of nanoparticle uptake
Silica supraparticle [29, 30]	500 μm (porous structure)	Deafened guinea pigs	Intracochlear	BDNF	At 4 weeks	Survival of SGNs
Phytantriol lipid-based crystalline NP [31]	215.6~227.2 nm	Guinea pigs, deafened with cisplatin	Intratympanic	NGF	At several predetermined time points within 24 h	ELISA assay of cochlear fluid
Nanoporous PGA NP [32]	1.8–3.2 μm	Guinea pig, deafened with aminoglycoside	Intracochlear	BDNF	At 20 days	Morphology

BDNF: brain-derived neurotrophic factor; SGN: spiral ganglion neurons; NP: nanoparticle; NGF: nerve growth factor; PGA: poly(L-glutamic acid).