Heart-Protective Nanoparticles

M. P. A. Ferreira, H. Ruskoaho, A. J. Airaksinen, H. A. Santos, and co-workers, explored the potential of porous silicon nanoparticles as multifunctional drug carriers for intravenous administration, by targeting the heart after engineering the carrier surface with a heart-homing ligand.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death worldwide, with estimated 17 million deaths every year. Particularly, myocardial ischemia (MI, commonly known as heart attack) leads to a substantial loss of cardiomyocytes (the so called beating cells), causing negative remodeling of the heart characterized by hypertrophy and dilation, scar formation and ultimately leading to heart failure.

This study opens up new avenues towards the development of targeted therapies for ischemic heart diseases using engineered drug delivery nanocarriers.

Read more at Advanced Science News website