Recent progress in biomimetic nanomedicines based on versatile targeting strategy for atherosclerosis therapy

Abstract

Atherosclerosis (AS) is considered to be one of the major causes of cardiovascular disease. Its pathological microenvironment is characterised by increased production of reactive oxygen species, lipid oxides, and excessive inflammatory factors, which accumulate at the monolayer endothelial cells in the vascular wall to form AS plaques. Therefore, intervention in the pathological microenvironment would be beneficial in delaying AS. Researchers have designed biomimetic nanomedicines with excellent biocompatibility and the ability to avoid being cleared by the immune system through different therapeutic strategies to achieve better therapeutic effects for the characteristics of AS. Biomimetic nanomedicines can further enhance delivery efficiency and improve treatment efficacy due to their good biocompatibility and ability to evade clearance by the immune system. Biomimetic nanomedicines based on therapeutic strategies such as neutralising inflammatory factors, ROS scavengers, lipid clearance and integration of diagnosis and treatment are versatile approaches for effective treatment of AS. The review firstly summarises the targeting therapeutic strategy of biomimetic nanomedicine for AS in recent 5 years. Biomimetic nanomedicines using cell membranes, proteins, and extracellular vesicles as carriers have been developed for AS.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Atherosclerosis
• biomimetic nanomedicine
• pathological microenvironment
• targeting
• therapeutic strategy

Authors’ contributions

Lijuan Liang¹, Yiping Deng¹ and Zuojin Ao¹ contributed equally. All authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors have declared no conflict of interest.

Preprint

A previous version of this manuscript was published as a preprint.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Hejiang County People’s Hospital-Southwest Medical University Joint Scientific Research Project (grant numbers 2022HJXNYD03, 2022HJXNYD14), the Youth Science Foundation Project of Southwest Medical University (grant numbers 2022QN025, 2021ZKZD016).