PLGA Nano-carriers used for targeted treatment of atherosclerosis

PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) provides a wide array of PLGA and related biodegradable polymers including specialty block copolymers. Recently researchers have coated PLGA nanoparticles with lipid coating that targets to macrophages and atherosclerotic plaque. Read more: Sanchez-Gaytan, Brenda L., Francois Fay, Mark E. Lobatto, Jun Tang, Mireille Ouimet, YongTae Kim, Susanne van der Staay et al. "HDL-mimetic PLGA nanoparticle for the targeting of atherosclerosis plaque macrophages." Bioconjugate Chemistry (2015). http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bc500517k

“Abstract: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is a natural nanoparticle that exhibits an intrinsic affinity for atherosclerotic plaque macrophages. Its natural targeting capability as well as the option to incorporate lipophilic payloads, e.g., imaging or therapeutic components, in both the hydrophobic core and the phospholipid corona make the HDL platform an attractive nanocarrier. To realize controlled release properties, we developed a hybrid polymer/HDL nanoparticle comprised of a lipid/apolipoprotein coating that encapsulates a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) core. This novel HDL-like nanoparticle (PLGA-HDL) displayed natural HDL characteristics, including preferential uptake by macrophages and a good cholesterol efflux capacity, combined with a typical PLGA nanoparticle slow release profile. In vivo studies carried out with an ApoE knockout mouse model of atherosclerosis showed clear accumulation of PLGA-HDL nanoparticles in atherosclerotic plaques, which co-localized with plaque macrophages. This bio-mimetic platform integrates the targeting capacity of HDL bio-mimetic nanoparticles with the characteristic versatility of PLGA based nanocarriers.”