Abstract
Despite substantial progress in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, mortality and morbidity remain unacceptably high; stroke and myocardial infarction are still one of the biggest killers worldwide.1 One hallmark of a ruptured atherosclerotic plaque causing a clinical event is the presence of cholesterol crystals (CC) that are fuelled by high plasma cholesterol levels. These deposits are extremely pro-inflammatory which contributes to plaque inflammation, instability and rupture.
Highlights
Despite substantial progress in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, mortality and morbidity remain unacceptably high; stroke and myocardial infarction are still one of the biggest killers worldwide.[1]
Primary preventions and treatments have focused on lipid-lowering drugs and, more recently, anti-inflammatory drugs.[2]
Some patients still suffer fatal events due to cholesterol crystals (CC) triggered inflammation that is already well established before treatment is initiated
Summary
Despite substantial progress in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, mortality and morbidity remain unacceptably high; stroke and myocardial infarction are still one of the biggest killers worldwide.[1]. Primary preventions and treatments have focused on lipid-lowering drugs and, more recently, anti-inflammatory drugs.[2] Despite encouraging results, some patients still suffer fatal events due to CC triggered inflammation that is already well established before treatment is initiated. Nanomedicine, a rapidly developing field with some remarkable preclinical achievements so far, holds a lot of promise in the delivery of more potent and specific therapies for atherosclerosis.[3] The range of activities in the field has significantly increased over the last decade thanks to substantive investments and the emergence of new companies focusing exclusively on nanotechnology.
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