Macrophage membrane-coated nanoparticles for the treatment of infectious diseases.

Abstract

Infectious diseases threaten human health severely, and traditional treatment techniques face multiple limitations. Macrophages as the important component of immune cells, display the unique biological properties, such as biocompatibility, immunocompatibility, targeting specificity, and immunoregulatory activity, and play a critical role in protecting the body against infections. The macrophage membrane-coated nanoparticles not only maintain the functions of the inner nanoparticles, but also inherit the characteristics of macrophages, making them excellent tools for improvement of drug delivery and therapeutic implications in infectious diseases (IDs). In this review, we describe the characteristics and functions of macrophage membrane-coated nanoparticles and their advantages and challenges in ID therapy. We first summarize the pathological features of IDs, providing enlightenment on how to fight against them. Next, we focus on the classification, characteristics, and preparation of macrophage membrane-coated nanoparticles. Finally, we comprehensively describe the progress of macrophage membrane-coated nanoparticles in combating IDs, including drug delivery, inhibition and killing of pathogens, and immune modulation. In the end of this review, a look forward to the challenges of this aspect is presented.