As numerous diseases are associated with increased local inflammation, directing drugs to the inflamed sites can be a powerful therapeutic strategy. One of the common characteristics of inflamed endothelial cells is the up-regulation of vascular cell adhesion molecule–1 (VCAM-1). Here, the specific affinity between very late antigen–4 (VLA-4) and VCAM-1 is exploited to produce a biomimetic nanoparticle formulation capable of targeting inflammation. The plasma membrane from cells genetically modified to constitutively express VLA-4 is coated onto polymeric nanoparticle cores, and the resulting cell membrane–coated nanoparticles exhibit enhanced affinity to target cells that overexpress VCAM-1 in vitro. A model anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone, is encapsulated into the nanoformulation, enabling improved delivery of the payload to inflamed lungs and significant therapeutic efficacy in vivo. Overall, this work leverages the unique advantages of biological membrane coatings to engineer additional targeting specificities using naturally occurring target-ligand interactions.

由于许多疾病都与局部炎症加剧有关，因此将药物导向发炎部位可能是一种强大的治疗策略。发炎内皮细胞的共同特征之一是血管细胞粘附分子-1 (VCAM-1) 的上调。在这里，利用极晚期抗原 4 (VLA-4) 和 VCAM-1 之间的特异性亲和力来生产能够靶向炎症的仿生纳米颗粒制剂。经过基因改造以组成型表达 VLA-4 的细胞的质膜被涂覆在聚合物纳米颗粒核心上，所得的细胞膜涂覆的纳米颗粒对体外过度表达 VCAM-1 的靶细胞表现出增强的亲和力。模型抗炎药物地塞米松被封装在纳米制剂中，能够改善有效负载向发炎肺部的输送，并在体内发挥显着的治疗效果。总体而言，这项工作利用生物膜涂层的独特优势，利用自然发生的靶标-配体相互作用来设计额外的靶向特异性。