Red blood cell membrane functionalized biomimetic nanoparticles for systemic lupus erythematosus treatment

Cyclosporin A (CsA) is a powerful immunosuppressant often used to treat Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, current CsA formulations have poor bioavailability and high pharmacokinetic variability, which have greatly affected its further application in clinical. Nanomaterials can enhance the effect of free drugs but can not avoid clearance by the mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS). In this work, inspired by cell membrane biomimetic nanotechnology, we designed red blood cell membrane-coated and Cyclosporin A (CsA)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs (CsA-RNPs) to treat SLE. The resultant CsA-RNPs possess the typical core-shell structures, narrow size distribution and negative surface charge. At the same time, CsA-RNPs have powerful drug loading and sustained release ability. Besides, benefiting from the decoration of cell membrane, the CsA-RNPs show excellent biocompatibility. Furthermore, CsA-RNPs had a 2.63-fold higher half-life (t1/2) and 4.87-fold area under curve (AUC0–∞) than free CsA, exhibiting outstanding performance in SLE treatment of MRL/lpr mice. These properties indicate the potential value of biomimetic cell membrane-coated PLGA NPs as a promising strategy for CsA delivery and clinical SLE therapy.