Anti-inflammation nanomedicine shots through atherosclerotic plaques for targeted treatment and precise diagnosis

Atherosclerosis, formed by fibrofatty lesions in the artery wall, underpins myocardial infarctions, strokes and disabling peripheral artery diseases. Inflammation with multiple maladaptive roles runs through atherosclerotic inception, propagation, and complications. Given degree of inflammation differing among atherosclerotics, inflammation-targeted nanomedicine may produce individualized monitoring and manipulation of inflammatory regulators beyond traditionally slowing down atherosclerosis progression. Equipped with biomimetic membrane, microenvironment-responsive and targeting structures, nanomedicines could escape from the innate immune system and autonomously navigate to targeted lesions, thereby muting inflammation in atherosclerotic sites. Moreover, nanoparticles’ advantages go beyond advancing pharmacology. The optimal physicochemical properties of nanoparticles favor noninvasive imaging function to provide diagnostic and prognostic information of atherosclerotic plaques. Despite efficacious ability of the preclinical anti-inflammation nanotherapeutics to reduce atherosclerotic risks, future translation of inflammation-targeted nanomedicines requires to comprehensively refine the strategies that the nanomedicines forestall inflammatory pathways via systemic exposure, drug-cell interactions, and endothelial barrier reconstruction. In this review, we outline the development of diverse nanomedicines to specifically identify pathophysiological changes and combat advanced atherosclerosis along with dynamically tracing inflammatory markers. Finally, challenges and opportunities of inflammation-targeted nanomedicines are highlighted to pave avenues toward personalized medicine for atherosclerosis to stem the growing global burden of cardiovascular diseases.