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Updated: May 2, 2026
Harvesting Murine Alveolar Macrophages and Evaluating Cellular Activation Induced by Polyanhydride Nanoparticles
Published on: June 8, 2012
Antibody-engineered nanoparticles selectively inhibit mesenchymal cells isolated from patients with chronic lung
Emanuela Cova1, Miriam Colombo, Simona Inghilleri
1Clinica di Malattie dell'Apparato Respiratorio, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico S Matteo, viale Golgi 19, 27100 Pavia, Italy. f.meloni@smatteo.pv.it.
Aims:
Chronic lung allograft dysfunction represents the main cause of death after lung transplantation, and so far there is no effective therapy. Mesenchymal cells (MCs) are primarily responsible for fibrous obliteration of small airways typical of chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Here, we engineered gold nanoparticles containing a drug in the hydrophobic section to inhibit MCs, and exposing on the outer hydrophilic surface a monoclonal antibody targeting a MC-specific marker (half-chain gold nanoparticles with everolimus).
Materials & Methods:
Half-chain gold nanoparticles with everolimus have been synthesized and incubated with MCs to evaluate the effect on proliferation and apoptosis.
Results & Discussion:
Drug-loaded gold nanoparticles coated with the specific antibody were able to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis without stimulating an inflammatory response, as assessed by in vitro experiments.
Conclusion:
These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of our nanoparticles in inhibiting MCs and open new perspectives for a local treatment of chronic lung allograft dysfunction.
