Cellular Targets for Drug Delivery in the Kidney

The renal glomerulus consists of endothelial cells, glomerular epithelial cells and mesangial cells. 

The mesangial cells of the glomerulus and the proximal tubular cells are the first choice targets for renal drug delivery. Both cell types play a central role in many disease processes in the kidney. 

As a consequence of such noxious triggers, proximal tubular cells respond with the synthesis of a host of inflammatory mediators [20]. Because of this, the proximal tubular cell is a central target for drug delivery. 

To date, only a limited number of studies have focused on drug delivery to the mesangium cell and only a modest degree of selectivity has been obtained in this respect [21,22]. More extensive studies have been performed on targeting drugs to the proximal tubular cell. Therefore, in this chapter, only targeting to the proximal tubular cell will be addressed. 

4 Renal Pathology and the Proximal Tnbniar CeU for Therapentic Intervention 

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