Gold Nanocarriers for Macrophage-Targeted Therapy of Human Immunodeficiency Virus

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to be a global pandemic and there is an urgent need for innovative treatment. Immune cells represent a major target of virus infection, but are also therapeutic targets. Currently, no antiretroviral therapy targets macrophages, which function as portal of entry and as major long-term deposit of HIV. It has been shown before that human macrophages efficiently internalize gold nanoparticles, a fact which might be used to target them with drug-nanoparticle conjugates. Here, the authors use gold nanocarriers to facilitate delivery of stavudine, a widely used antiretroviral drug, to primary human macrophages. Using an ease-of-use coupling method, a striking potentiation of stavudine intake by macrophages using gold nanocarriers is shown. Further, the carriers induce a specific subtype of proinflammatory activation indicative for antiviral activity of macrophages, which suggests promising novel treatment options for HIV.