A Pathophysiology-Informed, Negentropy-Oriented Strategy for Nanomedicine in MASLD

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Hepatology

Background:

• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a complex chronic liver condition.
• MASLD involves multiple pathological processes like insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and immune dysregulation.
• Current single-target therapies are often insufficient for MASLD due to its systemic complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a pathophysiology-informed framework for designing nanomedicine to treat MASLD.
• To explore how nanoplatforms can address multiple pathological pathways in MASLD.
• To highlight emerging nanomedicine strategies for enhanced MASLD therapy.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent advances in functional nanomedicine for MASLD intervention.
• Analysis of nanoplatforms engineered for stimuli-responsive drug release and targeted hepatic accumulation.
• Examination of strategies for modulating ROS production, immune imbalance, insulin signaling, ferroptosis, and gut microbiota.

Main Results:

• Nanomedicine enables simultaneous modulation of multiple MASLD pathological pathways.
• Diverse nanoplatforms are tailored to regulate key disease mechanisms.
• Emerging approaches like carrier-free and minimalist systems enhance translational potential.

Conclusions:

• Nanomedicine offers a promising approach to overcome the limitations of conventional MASLD treatments.
• Mechanism-driven nanotherapeutics are shifting the paradigm for treating complex liver diseases.
• Entropy-informed nanomedicine design provides a roadmap for restoring metabolic homeostasis in MASLD.