Nanomedicines for Dysfunctional Macrophage-Associated Diseases

Abstract

Macrophages play vital functions in host inflammatory reaction, tissue repair, homeostasis and immunity. Dysfunctional macrophages have significant pathophysiological impacts on diseases such as cancer, inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease), metabolic diseases (atherosclerosis, diabetes and obesity) and major infections like human immunodeficiency virus infection. In view of this common etiology in these diseases, targeting the recruitment, activation and regulation of dysfunctional macrophages represents a promising therapeutic strategy. With the advancement of nanotechnology, development of nanomedicines to efficiently target dysfunctional macrophages can strengthen the effectiveness of therapeutics and improve clinical outcomes. This review discusses the specific roles of dysfunctional macrophages in various diseases and summarizes the latest advances in nanomedicine-based therapeutics and theranostics for treating diseases associated with dysfunctional macrophages.

Department(s)

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Comments

This work was supported by VCU's CTSA award (UL1TR000058) from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the CCTR Endowment Fund of Virginia Commonwealth University to HY and SG as well as National Science Foundation CAREER award (CBET0954957) (HY).

Keywords and Phrases

Cell receptor; Drug delivery; Gene therapy; In vivo; Macrophage phenotype; Tissue macrophages

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0168-3659; 1873-4995

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Publication Date

10 Feb 2017

PubMed ID

28057522

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS