Health Watch: Researchers use ‘Trojan horse’ nanoparticles to fight artery plaque

Listen to this article

Researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine have found that drug-coated nanoparticles reduce the buildup of plaque in mouse arteries without causing negative side effects. The research was recently published in Nature Nanotechnology.

Atherosclerosis, the deposition of plaques of fatty material on the inner walls of arteries, is a major cause of strokes and heart attacks. “A characteristic feature of the atherosclerotic plaque is the accumulation of apoptotic cells in the necrotic core,” according to the study. “Prophagocytic antibody-based therapies are currently being explored to stimulate the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells; however, these therapies can cause off-target clearance of healthy tissues, which leads to toxicities such as anemia.”

Using carbon nanotubes, researchers were able to deliver a chemical to the cells in artery plaque that deactivates a signal that prevents the immune system from removing the diseased and dying cells.

“We developed a macrophage-specific nanotherapy based on single-walled carbon nanotubes loaded with a chemical inhibitor,” according to researchers. “We demonstrate that these single-walled carbon nanotubes accumulate within the atherosclerotic plaque, reactivate lesional phagocytosis and reduce the plaque burden in atheroprone apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice without compromising safety, and thereby overcome a key translational barrier for this class of drugs. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis reveals that prophagocytic single-walled carbon nanotubes decrease the expression of inflammatory genes linked to cytokine and chemokine pathways in lesional macrophages, which demonstrates the potential of ‘Trojan horse’ nanoparticles to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”

White blood cells that took in the nanotubes went to inflammatory sites such as artery plaque, according to researchers. The white blood cells then engulfed diseased cells.

To sign up for free CityBusiness Daily Updates, click here.