Nanomaterials for direct and indirect immunomodulation: A review of applications

The potential of nanotechnology has been explored throughout fields of medicine and found its application also in immunology. Given the crucial defence role and disseminated character of the immune system, the idea of using its strength in treatment has always been very attractive. Immunomodulation is an optimisation of the immune response both in terms of immunosuppression in autoimmune disorders and immunostimulation in vaccination or cancer immunotherapy. For these purposes, a wide range of nanomaterials has been investigated to influence the immune system directly by their composition itself or indirectly as intact carriers of the active. This review attempts to refer to nanomaterials and drug delivery systems utilised to modulate the immune response. It lists various structural types of nanoparticles discussing their composition and interplay with the immune system. Throughout the literature, both novel and traditional nanoparticles were utilised. The most progressive ones extend beyond the delivery of a single substance moving towards combined drug delivery systems and stimuli-responsive formulations.