Drug Delivery Systems for Muscles

Muscle diseases and disorders can cause a loss of function and mobility, significantly reducing the quality of life for patients and their caregivers. The treatment options for muscle diseases and disorders are limited or, in most cases, unavailable. One of the barriers to the development of novel treatment modalities is the low diffusion rate of drugs from blood to muscle, known as the “blood-muscle barrier.” Therefore, drug delivery systems and strategies targeting muscles are essential for the effective treatment of muscle diseases and disorders. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of muscle-targeted drugs and their delivery strategies to the musculoskeletal system. Fundamental information on the structure and molecular biology of muscles is also described to help further our understanding of the existing muscle-targeted drug delivery systems.