Nanocort^®: the therapeutic principle

Nanocort is a novel pharmaceutical composed of corticosteroids enclosed in carefully designed small lipid vesicles, which after intravenous injection selectively accumulate in inflamed tissues and in tumors. This effect is thought to occur by virtue of the local increased permeability of blood vessel walls, a phenomenon that is normally found at inflamed and malignant sites.

The liposomes are small (< 150 nm) vesicles comprising a lipid bilayer that contains specific phospholipids (non-toxic membrane-forming lipids of natural origin) in combination with cholesterol. The corticosteroid, which forms the actual anti-inflammatory content, is dissolved in the aqueous interior and remains entrapped inside and protected by the lipid bilayer.

This picture shows what happens if a regular corticosteroid preparation is injected in a patient: the drug spreads all over the body and is rapidly cleared. Little drug reaches the actual target sites while the majority is wasted in healthy non-target tissues causing adverse effects.

Here a schematic representation of Nanocort is shown. The corticosteroid is entrapped and cannot leave the blood circulation of the patient, except at the actual sites of inflammation where the blood vessels are leaky. After injection the liposomes selectively accumulate and form local depots from which the corticosteroid can perform its beneficial effects.