Nanoparticles in the New Era of Cardiovascular Therapeutics: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although a cadre of therapeutic strategies have been made available for CVDs in the clinical setting, predominantly through medication and surgery, these do not fully address the clinical needs of patients with CVD. As a new technique for CVD treatment, nanocarriers are employed to modify and package medications to ease the targeting of tissues, cells and molecules within the cardiovascular system. Nanocarriers are made of biomaterials, metals, or a combination of these materials, with sizes similar to bioactive molecules such as proteins and DNA. Cardiovascular nanomedicine (CVN) has only surfaced in recent years and is still in its infancy. Ample studies have displayed promise for the clinical utility of nanomedicine techniques, courtesy of continued perfection in nanocarrier design to optimize drug delivery and treatment outcomes. Here in this review, we will summarize the research advances in the literature on nanoparticles in the management of CVDs, including ischemic and coronary heart disease (e.g., atherosclerosis, angina pectoris and myocardial infarction), myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, aortic aneurysm, myocarditis, hypertension, and pulmonary artery hypertension and thrombosis.