Actively Targeted Nanoparticles for Enhanced Diagnosis, Treatment, and Vaccination of Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, hampered by prolonged, toxic treatment regimens that lead to poor patient adherence and drug resistance, as well as diagnostic tools that lack sensitivity and specificity. This systematic review evaluates recent advancement in actively targeted nanoparticle (NP) systems designed to improve TB diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination. Peer-reviewed studies published after 2015 focusing on NPs with active targeting capabilities were analyzed. The findings show that: ligand-functionalized NPs achieve precise, receptor-mediated targeting of infected cells, enhancing therapeutic efficacy; integrating diagnostic elements into these platforms enables rapid, sensitive biomarker detection; and antigen-loaded NPs effectively modulate immune responses, showing significant promise for novel vaccine development. Therefore, actively targeted NPs represent a transformative platform to overcome critical limitations in TB care by offering a unified strategy to improve diagnostic accuracy, therapeutic outcomes, and vaccine-induced immunity.