Recent Advances in Nanomedicine-Mediated Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Treatment

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an enlarged area in the lower part of the body's main artery, characterized by complex physiological environments and multi-mechanistic pathogenesis. The continuous growth and the risk of rupture of AAAs threaten patients' health. Despite positive outcomes in preclinical studies, no pharmacological approach is proven effective in stabilizing and reversing the progression in the clinic. Insufficient local drug concentration, dynamic aorta environment, and unique anatomical characteristics attenuate the efficacy of systemic administration. To overcome the gap between laboratory and clinic, nanomedicine strategies are applied in a wide range of studies to optimize the in vivo behavior of the drugs. The emerging nano-delivery technologies are shown to have the potential to improve the efficacy of drugs against AAA through diverse mechanisms. Herein, the composition and characteristics of the AAA environment are summarized, followed by the review of multiple AAA-targeted nano-scale therapeutic strategies, which are classified according to the utilized AAA properties and the targeting mechanism. Additionally, the future of developing novel AAA therapeutic strategies is being envisioned and discussed. These technologies are expected to be the last piece of the puzzle to solve the lack of effective pharmacological methods for treating AAA.