Advances in nanomedicine hold promise for diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis
Advances in nanomedicine hold promise for diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis lead image
The chronic systemic inflammation associated with atherosclerosis is a hallmark of several vascular diseases. Identifying and treating unstable plaques before they rupture and clog blood vessels remains a goal for researchers developing new diagnosis and therapy tools. Organic nanoparticles have shown potential for both imaging and treatment.
Tu et al. highlight the recent progress in organic nanoparticles for imaging and treating atherosclerosis. The paper covers a wide range of approaches, particularly in the context of using two imaging modalities, ultrasound and computer-assisted tomography, in conjunction.
“Several kinds of organic nanoparticles have been approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration for clinic cancer treatment,” said author Aiguo Wu. “This leads us to believe that organic nanoparticles are also promising for the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis in the future.”
The researchers classify applications with dual-mode imaging by four cell types involved in atherosclerosis: monocytes, macrophages, foam cells, and plaque-associated angiogenesis cells. Cell types can be targeted differently with nanoparticles to obtain a different view of the disease. For example, perfluorooctyl bromide can be wrapped with ultrasound contrast nanoparticles and coupled to infrared-responsive antibodies to image foam cells, a hallmark of atherosclerosis in which immune cells become bloated with LDL cholesterol.
Nanoparticles also allow therapies to collect in areas of disease and, when stimulated, undergo a transformation to kill aberrant cells. In one such example, photodynamic therapy uses nanoparticles to deliver photosensitizers into plaques and halt their progression when exposed to certain wavelengths.
Wu hopes the review stokes further interest in nanomedicine and looks to continue work on nanotherapeutics.
Source: “Advances in imaging and treatment of atherosclerosis based on organic nanoparticles,” by Shuangshuang Tu, Wenming He, Jinru Han, Aiguo Wu, and Wenzhi Ren, APL Bioengineering (2022). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0127835 .
This paper is part of the Drug/Gene Delivery and Theranostics Collection, learn more here .
