Abstract
Atherosclerosis, being an inflammation-associated disease, represents a considerable healthcare problem. Its origin remains poorly understood, and at the same time, it is associated with extensive morbidity and mortality worldwide due to myocardial infarctions and strokes. Unfortunately, drugs are unable to effectively prevent plaque formation. Systemic administration of pharmaceuticals for the inhibition of plaque destabilization bears the risk of adverse effects. At present, nanoscience and, in particular, nanomedicine has made significant progress in both imaging and treatment of atherosclerosis. In this review, we focus on recent advances in this area, discussing subjects such as nanocarriers-based drug targeting principles, approaches towards the treatment of atherosclerosis, utilization of theranostic agents, and future prospects of nanoformulated therapeutics against atherosclerosis and inflammatory diseases. The focus is placed on articles published since 2015 with additional attention to research completed in 2019–2020.
Highlights
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall caused by dyslipidemia and regulated by the innate and adaptive immune response
Even though macrophages are present in many tissues and participate in various processes, they can be found in abundance in atherosclerotic plaques, they are becoming a reasonable target for atherosclerotic lesions [18]
It was shown by Kim et al [177] that nanocomposite comprised of chlorin e6 (Ce6)-hyaluronic acid (HA) conjugate can be used as a photosensitizer, with additional selectivity achieved via binding of HA to the macrophage membrane
Summary
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall caused by dyslipidemia and regulated by the innate and adaptive immune response. A characteristic feature of atherosclerosis is the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque in the intima, proliferation of VSMCs, as well as the accumulation of activated immune cells, and the proliferation of adventitia in the area of plaque formation (Figure 1) [5]. Since the discovery of the leading role of cholesterol in atherosclerosis development, lipid control was the subject of research for many years. Phagocytosis can be considered as an innate way to deliver nanoformulated drugs to a plaque inside macrophages. This and other in vivo strategies of drugs target delivery will be addressed in this review
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