2. Fate of nanomedicines after intravenous administration

2.1 Pharmacokinetics of nanoparticles

After blood administration, nanoparticles circulate in the circulatory torrent. To reach the tissues, these carriers will have to pass through arteries and then smaller-diameter arterioles. Thus, a dose of nanoparticles administered into a vein will reach the heart via the vena cava, then necessarily pass through the lungs to return to the heart via the pulmonary vein and rejoin the arterial circulation via the aorta (figure 2 ). Passage through the lungs is not a problem for small...