Application progress of nanomaterial-based delivery systems in atherosclerosis

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2025.12.015

Abstract

Abstract:

Atherosclerosis (AS), a chronic vascular inflammatory disease characterized by scattered and deep-seated lesions, is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Efficient drug delivery is crucial for enhancing therapeutic efficacy in this condition. Nanomaterials exhibit significant advantages in drug delivery systems owing to their unique physicochemical properties. Through targeted surface functionalization, they enable precise drug targeting, promote enhanced accumulation at pathological sites, reduce off-target biodistribution, and ultimately improve both therapeutic efficacy and safety profiles. Nano-delivery systems, categorized based on material characteristics into four major classes—lipid-based, polymeric, inorganic, and biomimetic nanocarriers—have multifunctional composite designs that support multimodal synergistic therapies (e.g., photothermal conversion and magnetic-responsive imaging-guided therapy). These approaches hold significant potential for enhancing therapeutic efficiency in AS management. This review synthesizes recent advances in nanocarrier-based strategies for AS management, focusing on the synthesis of diverse nanocarrier types, targeting mechanisms, and multimodal applications. It covers representative achievements ranging from basic research to preclinical studies and partial clinical trials, while outlining future development directions for nanotechnology-based therapeutic strategies and providing critical perspectives on technical innovations and persistent translational hurdles in this field.

Key words: nanomaterial, nanotechnology, atherosclerosis

CLC Number:

R543.5

CHEN Liang, WU Biao, YUAN Liangxi. Application progress of nanomaterial-based delivery systems in atherosclerosis[J]. Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Medical Science), 2025, 45(12): 1687-1693.

Figures/Tables 1

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References 56

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Type	Advantage	Limitation	Research phase
Lipid-based NPs	High drug loading capacity, gene delivery capability, natural targeting, and high biocompatibility	Low stability, and shortened in vivo circulation time	Predominantly preclinical investigations, with selective progression to clinical trials
Polymer NPs	Tunable structural properties, stimuli-responsive behavior, and broad-spectrum drug compatibility	Multi-step synthesis process, limited in vivo stability, and potential toxicity risks	Comprehensive preclinical investigation with selective, clinical translation-oriented studies
Inorganic NPs	Precise controllability, theranostic integration, and high stability	Potential toxicity risks, incompletely characterized metabolic pathways, and undetermined long-term safety profiles	Predominantly preclinical investigation, with a limited subset progressing to clinical trials
Biomimetic NPs	High biocompatibility, prolonged circulation time, and homology-directed targeting	Complex multi-step synthesis, restricted membrane availability, and challenges in standardization	Active preclinical research, remaining largely in the preclinical phase without clinical progression

Type	Advantage	Limitation	Research phase
Lipid-based NPs	High drug loading capacity, gene delivery capability, natural targeting, and high biocompatibility	Low stability, and shortened in vivo circulation time	Predominantly preclinical investigations, with selective progression to clinical trials
Polymer NPs	Tunable structural properties, stimuli-responsive behavior, and broad-spectrum drug compatibility	Multi-step synthesis process, limited in vivo stability, and potential toxicity risks	Comprehensive preclinical investigation with selective, clinical translation-oriented studies
Inorganic NPs	Precise controllability, theranostic integration, and high stability	Potential toxicity risks, incompletely characterized metabolic pathways, and undetermined long-term safety profiles	Predominantly preclinical investigation, with a limited subset progressing to clinical trials
Biomimetic NPs	High biocompatibility, prolonged circulation time, and homology-directed targeting	Complex multi-step synthesis, restricted membrane availability, and challenges in standardization	Active preclinical research, remaining largely in the preclinical phase without clinical progression