Macrophage-Targeted Nanomedicine for the Treatment of Atherosclerosis

 Which method is your competent? doctor using to treat atherosclerosis? Oh, HAS NOTHING? So, you DON'T have a functioning stroke doctor, do you?

Do you want the lawnmower?
Lawnmower For Clogged Arteries
Or Drano? I would be worried about this, sloughing off chunks
Drano For Clogged Arteries
Or conventional?
9 Complications With Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Or this?

Israeli study uses gold particles to ‘seek and destroy’ artery blockages

But I'd rather my doctor told me how much watermelon juice to drink.

Watermelon juice reverses hardening of the arteries  Nov. 2011

I'm not medically trained so nothing here should be brought to your doctor's attention because they being completely up-to-date will already know about it.

The latest here: 

Macrophage-Targeted Nanomedicine for the Treatment of Atherosclerosis

Authors Feng Y , Chen J, Guo X, Qin M, Wang S, Jiang D, Liu X, Mao L

Received 8 April 2025

Accepted for publication 16 July 2025

Published 25 August 2025 Volume 2025:20 Pages 10325—10352

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S529988

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 2

Editor who approved publication: Professor Eng San Thian

Yuhang Feng,¹ Jiaojiao Chen,¹ Xiaoqing Guo,¹ Mengting Qin,¹ Shengnan Wang,¹ Dailiang Jiang,¹ Xiaoming Liu,² Ling Mao<sup>1

1</sup>Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China; ²Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Xiaoming Liu, Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China, Email Xiaoming_liu@hust.edu.cn Ling Mao, Department of Neurology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 15172314891, Email maoling@mail.hust.edu.cn

Abstract: Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality worldwide, with atherosclerosis being the primary etiology. Despite its prevalence, atherosclerosis remains inadequately controlled by conventional therapeutic interventions. The unique physicochemical properties of nanomedicine offer new hope for the treatment of atherosclerosis. Macrophages are now understood to play a pivotal role in the progression of atherosclerosis, acting as both pathogenic factors and potential therapeutic targets. The inherent plasticity of macrophages significantly influences disease progression, suggesting that modulating macrophage function or abundance could provide a viable strategy to intervene in the atherosclerotic process. This review comprehensively examines the targeted delivery and controlled release of nanoparticles, providing an in-depth analysis of both passive and active targeting strategies, as well as the controlled release of therapeutic agents in response to the specific microenvironment of atherosclerotic plaques and external stimuli such as light and sound. The role of biomimetic nanomedicines in the treatment of atherosclerosis, primarily those utilizing macrophage membrane coatings and exosomes, is discussed. Finally, the current challenges facing nanomedicine in atherosclerosis treatment are analyzed, emphasizing the need for future research to investigate its mechanisms of action in depth and optimize related strategies to harness its therapeutic potential.

Keywords: nanomedicine, macrophage, atherosclerosis, targeted delivery, responsive strategies

More at link.

Atherosclerosis Progresses Rapidly in Healthy People From the Age of 40

At age 50 despite being extremely healthy my right carotid artery got to 80% closure, which is not a problem except that the plaque tore, clotted and sent that clot to the brain. I would never have stented that because the risk from stenting is too great and ideally my doctors would have tested for a complete Circle of Willis.  For 10 years that artery was completely closed which was great, now I guess collaterals have formed around it.  My coronary arteries are pretty good though.  What is your doctor doing to clear that plaque?  Stenting doesn't clear anything.

Do you want the lawnmower?
Lawnmower For Clogged Arteries
Or Drano? I would be worried about this, sloughing off chunks
Drano For Clogged Arteries
Or conventional?
9 Complications With Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Or this?

Israeli study uses gold particles to ‘seek and destroy’ artery blockages

But I'd rather my doctor told me how much watermelon juice to drink.

Watermelon juice reverses hardening of the arteries  Nov. 2011

I'm not medically trained so nothing here should be brought to your doctor's attention because they being completely up-to-date will already know about it.

The latest here:

Atherosclerosis Progresses Rapidly in Healthy People From the Age of 40

Atheroma plaques extend rapidly through the arteries of 40% of asymptomatic individuals aged 40 to 50 years, according to a study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.

“The key finding of the study is that over a short follow-up of just 3 years, 40% of individuals aged 40 to 50 years showed major progression of atherosclerosis in distinct locations, including the carotid, femoral, and coronary arteries,” said Beatriz López-Melgar, MD, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain. “This rapid disease progression could make these individuals more vulnerable to developing symptoms or having clinical events such as a myocardial infarction or stroke.”

The Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis (PESA) study has been monitoring 4,200 healthy middle-aged men and women with noninvasive imaging technology, such as 2D or 3D ultrasound, for more than 10 years.

“[Noninvasive technology] allows us to identify the progression of the disease earlier than is possible with classical markers, such as the presence of coronary calcium detected by computed tomography, thus allowing us to identify individuals at higher risk who could benefit from early intervention,” said Valentín Fuster, MD, CNIC.

“This study is the first to analyse the progression of atherosclerosis at frequent intervals,” added Borja Ibañez, MD, CNIC. “The previous view was that the disease progressed very slowly throughout life. However, the new results show that the disease progressed very rapidly in 40% of the individuals analysed.”

The researchers conclude that the findings, while they await validation from the occurrence of events in the PESA cohort in the future, will be of great value for the identification of strategies to stall the epidemic of cardiovascular disease.

“Future data from the PESA study will show whether this progression is associated with subsequent cardiovascular events,” said Dr. Ibañez. “Until now, the speed of atherosclerosis progression has not been a factor in assessing individual risk.”

Reference: http://www.onlinejacc.org/content/75/14/1617

SOURCE: Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III

After Stroke, Women and Men Significantly More Likely to Have a Cardiac Event

So you described a problem but offered no solution, either to prevent the event or to analyze the likelihood of occurrence. Should a coronary angiogram be done? Aggressive removal of plaque?  Stents?

Do you want the lawnmower?
http://www.articlecity.com/videos/health/Lawnmower-For-Clogged-Arteries-175286465.php
Or Drano? I would be worried about this, sloughing off chunks
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=26404
Or conventional?
http://video.answers.com/learn-about-coronary-bypass-surgery-286302728

Or this?

Israeli study uses gold particles to ‘seek and destroy’ artery blockages

The latest here:

After Stroke, Women and Men Significantly More Likely to Have a Cardiac Event

Both women and men are significantly more likely to have a myocardial infarction (MI) or another major cardiovascular event within 30 days of having a stroke, according to a study published in Stroke.

The study demonstrated for the first time that in people with no underlying heart disease, after a stroke, they were more than 20 times more likely than those who didn’t have a stroke (23-fold in women and 25-fold in men) to have a first-in-life major adverse cardiovascular event.

This risk decreased after 30 days, but even 1 year after a stroke, men and women both still had twice the risk of a major cardiac event than those who didn’t have a stroke.

For the study, Luciano Sposato, University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, Ontario, and colleagues examined data for more than 90,000 adults aged older than 65 years in Ontario with no pre-existing clinical diagnosis of heart disease. The researchers examined the incidence of cardiac events in 2 groups -- a group of just over 20,000 that had a stroke and a group of approximately 70,000 individuals without stroke but with similar vascular risk factors, comorbidities, and demographic characteristics.

The researchers pointed out that the connection between cardiovascular events and stroke has often been believed to be the result of shared risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or smoking. However, in the current study there was the same proportion of these risk factors in the stroke group and in the non-stroke group.

“This shows that after taking risk factors into consideration, having experienced a recent stroke was independently associated with the incidence of major adverse cardiac events,” said Dr. Sposato. “This leads us to believe that there are underlying mechanisms linked to stroke that may be causing heart disease.”

He hopes this information will inform clinical practice and encourage healthcare providers to watch for cardiovascular symptoms(Hell, a dog can watch for cardiovascular symptoms, barking when they fall to the floor.) in patients who recently had strokes.

“My hope is that neurologists, cardiologists, and scientists can work more closely together on this brain heart connection so that in the future we can understand and target the underlying mechanisms to prevent heart disease after stroke,” he said.

Reference: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/STROKEAHA.119.028066

SOURCE: University of Western Ontario

Brain ultrasound can assess stroke risk

If such a risk is found what the hell are your doctors doing to clean out the plaque in those arteries?
Do you want the lawnmower?
http://www.articlecity.com/videos/health/Lawnmower-For-Clogged-Arteries-175286465.php
Or Drano? I would be worried about this, sloughing off chunks
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=26404
Or conventional?
http://video.answers.com/learn-about-coronary-bypass-surgery-286302728
Or;

Israeli study uses gold particles to ‘seek and destroy’ artery blockages

Brain ultrasound can assess stroke risk

Ultrasound or sonography of abdominal parts is a common procedure, but now neurologists have for the first time devised a new technology called `neurosonology' or the ultrasound of the brain. The development was discussed at the two-day annual national conference, Neurosonocon-2016.


Dr Arvind Sharma, a stroke specialist and the head of the department of neurology at a city-based private hospital, said that neurosonology has evol ved from neurology. Sharma is also the organizing secretary of the conference.

Sharma said that the potential threat of strokes can be determined with the ultrasound of the brain as it can detect occlusion in blood vessels. He said that neurosonology will be less costly and will present no risk of radiation. "We have a machine here but we will promote this modality across the country ," he said. Neurosonology finds its primary application in fields such as neurology, neurosurgery , neuro-anasthesia, and neuro critical care.

Israeli study uses gold particles to ‘seek and destroy’ artery blockages

Right now this is just seek. You'll have to ask your doctor which way is best to remove the plaque.
Do you want the lawnmower? http://www.articlecity.com/videos/health/Lawnmower-For-Clogged-Arteries-175286465.php
Or Drano? I would be worried about this, sloughing off chunks
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=26404 

Israeli study uses gold particles to ‘seek and destroy’ artery blockages

Israeli researchers are developing a novel method to treat life-threatening blockages in arteries, using gold nanoparticles to “color” potential problem areas, and possibly even to treat them.

A recent study by scientists at Bar-Ilan University examines the use of gold nanorods to help treat atherosclerosis — a vascular disease in which artery walls thicken over time due to build-up of plaque in the blood vessel. These fatty blockages can eventually cause heart attacks and strokes.

One of the major problems with treating atherosclerosis is the identification of the disease. Researchers are tackling this problem by taking advantage of one of the chief characteristics of atherosclerotic build-ups: they are rich in macrophages, a type of white blood cell that ingests foreign substances. Gold nanorods, meanwhile, have unique optical properties that allow them to be detected using laser scanners.

When injected into the body, the nanoparticles are absorbed by macrophages, essentially lighting up problem areas and allowing a fast, low-risk, non-invasive diagnosis, after which doctors can decide how to best proceed with treatment.

Prof. Dror Fixler, who is leading the research, noted that “tests offered today include ultrasound, CT scans and MRI, but these are costly, not readily available and include ionizing (and thus damaging) radiation. Our test method is non-ionizing.”

Prof. Dror Fixler, Bar-Ilan University (YouTube screen capture)

The team is also looking into ways to pair the nanoparticles with high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), also known as “good cholesterol,” which help break down fatty cells in blood vessels clear blockages. Thus the gold particles could potentially be turned into a targeted delivery system to both identify and treat vulnerable plaque areas.

The new study will be presented at the upcoming NanoIsrael 2016 conference, to be held at Tel Avuv University on February 22-23.

Blood Pressure Medication Can’t Undo All Damage

Well then what does undo the damage? Maybe one of these?
If you have atherosclerosis what is your doctor doing about it?
Do you want the lawnmower?
http://www.articlecity.com/videos/health/Lawnmower-For-Clogged-Arteries-175286465.php
Or Drano? I would be worried about this, sloughing off chunks
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=26404

Blood Pressure Medication Can’t Undo All Damage
Treating uncontrolled hypertension with medication can greatly reduce the risk for a myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and heart failure; however, the current approach to treatment can’t undo all of the previous damage or restore cardiovascular disease risk to ideal levels, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, and colleagues sought to determine whether effective treatment of hypertension could lower the risk of cardiovascular disease to that seen in people who have always had ideal blood pressure levels.
“The best outcomes were seen in those who always had ideal levels of blood pressure and never required medications,” said Dr. Lloyd-Jones. “Those who were treated with medication and achieved ideal levels were still at roughly twice the risk of those with untreated ideal levels. And, of course, people with untreated or uncontrolled high blood pressure were at even greater risk.”
He stressed that it remains very important to treat high blood pressure and that lowering blood pressure with antihypertensive medications has been found to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease significantly in middle-aged and older adults.
The new findings strongly suggest that there should be an even greater effort to maintain lower blood pressure levels in younger adults to avoid increases in blood pressure over time that may eventually require medication.
“A greater focus on healthy lifestyles, such as healthier eating patterns, with more fruits and vegetables and lower sodium intake and regular participation in physical activity are the best means for preventing blood pressure levels that might require medication,” said Dr. Lloyd-Jones.
The researchers analysed data from nearly 9,000 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) studies.
They found that MESA participants on antihypertensive medication (all aged 50 years or older at baseline) with well-controlled hypertension (<120/<80 mm Hg) still had twice the risk of cardiovascular disease events in the next 9.5 years compared with participants who had the same low blood pressure levels without treatment.
Results from the CARDIA participants indicate that middle-aged adults with blood pressure well-controlled by medication had longer exposure to higher blood pressure levels throughout young adulthood than those with ideal blood pressure without medication. As a result, they had significantly higher risk of end-organ damage, as measured by left ventricular mass, kidney function, and the presence of coronary artery calcification.
Future studies are still needed to investigate whether earlier treatment with medications could abolish excess cardiovascular disease risk found in this study, according to the authors.
SOURCE: Northwestern University

Interferons as Essential Modulators of Atherosclerosis

If you have atherosclerosis what is your doctor doing about it?
Do you want the lawnmower?
http://www.articlecity.com/videos/health/Lawnmower-For-Clogged-Arteries-175286465.php
Or Drano? I would be worried about this, sloughing off chunks
http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=26404
Or conventional?
http://video.answers.com/learn-about-coronary-bypass-surgery-286302728

Or maybe something in this latest research?
http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/35/7/1579.abstract?etoc

1. Marieke C.S. Boshuizen,
2. Menno P.J. de Winther

+ Author Affiliations

1. From the Experimental Vascular Biology, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

1. Correspondence to Menno P.J. de Winther, PhD, Experimental Vascular Biology, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. E-mail m.dewinther@amc.uva.nl

Abstract

Interferons (IFNs) are key regulators of both innate and adaptive immune responses. The family of IFN cytokines can be divided into 3 main subtypes of which type I and type II IFNs are most well-defined. IFNs are known to be important mediators in atherosclerosis. Evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies shows that the IFNs are generally proatherosclerotic. However, their role in atherosclerosis is complex, with distinct roles for these cytokines throughout different stages of the disease. In this review, we will discuss the current knowledge on the role of type I and type II IFNs in atherosclerosis development, specifically focusing on their role in endothelial activation, cell recruitment, foam cell formation, and regulation of apoptosis. Furthermore, we will discuss whether IFNs could be considered as new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in atherosclerosis.

Analysis: Plaque 'Sander' Safety Durable

Will your doctor inform you of these other possibilities for treating plaque in your arteries?
1.  Treatments for clogged arteries - lawnmower, drano or conventional?  
2.  Watermelon juice reverses hardening of the arteries
3.   http://oc1dean.blogspot.com/2011/08/beets-brain-health.html

The latest one here:
Analysis: Plaque 'Sander' Safety Durable