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Nanomedicines for dysfunctional macrophage-associated diseases

Hongliang He1, Shobha Ghosh2, Hu Yang3

  • 1Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, United States.

Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society
|January 7, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Dysfunctional macrophages contribute to numerous diseases. Nanomedicines offer a promising strategy to target these cells, enhancing therapeutic effectiveness for better clinical outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology and Nanomedicine

Background:

  • Macrophages are crucial for host defense, repair, and immunity.
  • Dysfunctional macrophages are implicated in diseases like cancer, inflammatory and metabolic disorders, and infections.
  • Targeting macrophage dysfunction presents a therapeutic opportunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the roles of dysfunctional macrophages in various diseases.
  • To summarize recent advances in nanomedicine for targeting macrophages.
  • To explore nanomedicine-based therapeutics and theranostics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on macrophage function and dysfunction.
  • Analysis of nanomedicine strategies for macrophage targeting.
  • Synthesis of current research on nanotherapeutics and theranostics.

Main Results:

  • Dysfunctional macrophages drive pathogenesis in diverse diseases.
  • Nanotechnology enables precise targeting of macrophages.
  • Nanomedicines show potential to improve treatment efficacy.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting macrophage recruitment, activation, and regulation is a key therapeutic strategy.
  • Nanomedicine offers advanced tools for treating diseases linked to macrophage dysfunction.
  • Further development of nanotherapeutics and theranostics is warranted.
Keywords:
Cell receptorDrug deliveryGene therapyIn vivoMacrophage phenotypeTissue macrophages

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