Abstract
There are still great challenges for the effective treatment of infectious diseases, although considerable achievement has been made by using antiviral and antimicrobial agents varying from small-molecule drugs, peptides/proteins, to nucleic acids. The nanomedicine approach is emerging as a new strategy capable of overcoming disadvantages of molecular therapeutics and amplifying their anti-infective activities, by localized delivery to infection sites, reducing off-target effects, and/or attenuating resistance development. Nanotechnology, in combination with bioinspired and biomimetic approaches, affords additional functions to nanoparticles derived from synthetic materials. Herein, we aim to provide a state-of-the-art review on recent progress in biomimetic and bioengineered nanotherapies for the treatment of infectious disease. Different biomimetic nanoparticles, derived from viruses, bacteria, and mammalian cells, are first described, with respect to their construction and biophysicochemical properties. Then, the applications of diverse biomimetic nanoparticles in anti-infective therapy are introduced, either by their intrinsic activity or by loading and site-specifically delivering various molecular drugs. Bioinspired and biomimetic nanovaccines for prevention and/or therapy of infectious diseases are also highlighted. At the end, major translation issues and future directions of this field are discussed.
Highlights
Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic organisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites are still responsible for the majority of hospitalization and death worldwide
Taking advantage of the specific delivery and translocation mechanisms adopted by pathogens and mammalian cells, the bioinspired nanoparticles have diverse functions, such as prolonged circulation, enhanced accumulation at infected sites, and reduced off-target effects in healthy tissues
Regardless of nanoparticles engineered by various biomimetic approaches, their structural features and molecular components are only poorly characterized
Summary
Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic organisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites are still responsible for the majority of hospitalization and death worldwide. Considerable achievement has been made by using antibiotic agents varying from small-molecule drugs, peptides/ proteins, to nucleic acids, there remain great challenges in effective treatment of infectious diseases. New viruses and bacteria are constantly emerging by evolution or other biological events, leading to a continuing challenge in control and prevention of infectious diseases. In addition to discovering new antiviral agents and antibiotics for infection control, creative strategies need to be developed to maximize efficacy of currently available drugs (Willing et al, 2011; Dickey et al, 2017). Vaccines remain unavailable for many infectious diseases (Haque et al, 2018), such as Chlamydia and M. tuberculosis infections. Innovative technologies are desperately needed for vaccine development (Pardi et al, 2018)
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