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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Apr 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Mol Med. 2015 Feb 2;21(4):223–232. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2015.01.001

Figure 3. Passive targeting, active targeting, and combinatorial delivery.

Figure 3

In passive targeting (left), the NPs passively extravasate though the leaky vasculature via the EPR effect and preferentially accumulate in tumors. In active targeting (middle), targeting ligands on the surface of the NP trigger receptor-mediated endocytosis for enhanced cellular uptake. In combinatorial delivery (right), two or more therapeutic agents inhibit different or identical disease pathways for a synergistic effect.