Macrophage-Targeted Nanomedicines

Abstract

Macrophages are versatile cells of the innate immune system responsible for the control and progressions of a variety of autoimmune inflammatory, infectious, and metabolic diseases and cancer. Macrophage polarization (pro-inflammatory and tissue injury M1 or anti-inflammatory, tissue repair, and proangiogenic M2) occurs in health tissues and in diseases, being a vital element of disease development or reversion. Macrophages play important roles in diverse diseases that affect millions of people and have significant health and economic costs since generally they are chronic, relapsing, and disabling. Therapies focus on elimination, repolarization, reduction of pro-inflammatory mediators, activation of antimicrobial activity, or induction of immune response by macrophages is being considered of increasing interest. However, issues associated with inappropriate pharmacokinetics, lack of tissue selectivity, and poor intracellular delivery make such pharmacological approaches poorly efficient and/or toxic. Macrophage-targeted nanomedicines may increase intracellular drug concentration on activated macrophages, reduce toxicity, and improve activity. In this chapter, we will describe strategies for macrophage targeting employing nanoparticles for treatment of inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, lung inflammatory diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases and rheumatoid arthritis, and infectious diseases such as leishmaniasis, tuberculosis, and nontuberculous mycobacterial disease developed in the last 5 years.