Potential and limitations of drug targeting: an overview.

Potential and limitations of current efforts in drug targeting are discussed in terms of the criterion that targeting strategies must ultimately be gauged by their success in producing selectivity of pharmacological response thereby reducing or eliminating side effects which are not mechanism-related. A wide variety of approaches are considered, including: local drug administration, differential metabolism, carriers and vehicles, macromolecular recognition, site-specific activation and molecular specificity. Each approach is briefly assessed for its potential to be developed as a realistic candidate for human health care.