Cyclodextrin related drug delivery system to promote atherosclerosis regression

As one of the biggest threats to human life and health, atherosclerosis (AS) can cause heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular changes. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is an identified risk for AS. In the presence of oxidative stress, LDL particles can be oxidized to form lipoproteins, which are particularly atherosclerotic. The pathogenesis of AS and traditional treatment for AS are reviewed. Since cyclodextrin (CD) is a widely used cyclic oligosaccharide functioned as a solubilizer and hydrophobic drug inclusion compound, it can promote cholesterol dissolution, increase cholesterol efflux and LXR-dependent cellular reprogramming, and activate the anti-inflammatory mechanism. The rapid development of nanotechnology may provide broad prospects for the development of new nanomaterials, especially amphiphilic micelles and polymosomes, thus combining with CD to promote AS degeneration, reduce inflammation, and enhance the reverse transport of cholesterol. Therefore, to build a drug delivery system based on CD which can achieve an efficient entrapment of anti-atherosclerotic drugs is a new promising strategy in future.