Nanomedicine Approaches for Localized Drug Delivery in Cardiovascular Therapy

Nanomedicine has emerged as a transformative strategy in cardiovascular therapy by enabling the precise delivery of therapeutic agents to diseased vascular sites while minimising systemic exposure. Advances in materials science have yielded a spectrum of nanoscale carriers, including polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes and biomimetic vesicles, each engineered to navigate the bloodstream, adhere to injured endothelium and release payloads in response to local stimuli. Functionalisation with targeting ligands—such as peptides, antibodies or aptamers—improves selectivity for inflamed or atherosclerotic regions. Stimuli-responsive systems exploit local pH shifts, enzymatic activity or redox gradients to trigger drug release, enhancing efficacy in restenosis prevention and attenuation of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. By integrating imaging moieties, theranostic constructs further enable simultaneous diagnosis and treatment, thus supporting real-time monitoring of therapeutic outcomes. Collectively, these approaches promise to refine interventional cardiology, offering prolonged circulation, controlled release kinetics and reduced off-target effects, with the ultimate goal of improving patient adherence and long-term vessel patency.

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Nanomedicine Approaches for Localized Drug Delivery in Cardiovascular Therapy publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanomedicine approaches for localized drug delivery in cardiovascular therapy across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA): A biodegradable copolymer commonly used to fabricate nanoparticles for controlled drug release in vascular applications.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs): Circulating cells that home to sites of vascular injury and contribute to endothelial repair and neovascularisation.

Restenosis: The pathological re-narrowing of a blood vessel lumen following interventional procedures such as angioplasty or stenting.

pH-responsive nanoparticles: Nanocarriers designed to alter their structure or permeability and release encapsulated drugs in response to local acidic environments.

References

1. pH-Responsive Nanoparticles for Delivery of Paclitaxel to the Injury Site for Inhibiting Vascular Restenosis. Pharmaceutics (2022).
2. Targeted Nanoparticles for the Binding of Injured Vascular Endothelium after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. Molecules (2022).
3. Nanoparticle-based approaches for treating restenosis after vascular injury. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2024).