Targeting the core of atherosclerosis

Heart Disease A major villain in heart attacks and stroke is the inflamed necrotic core of atherosclerotic plaque. When the plaque ruptures, debris from this necrotic core, which largely consists of dead and dying cells, is released into the bloodstream, where it can cause blood clots and arterial blockage. Flores et al. designed and tested a nanoparticle-based therapy aimed at inducing certain immune cells to clear away the dead cells. They loaded single-walled carbon nanotubes with a drug that stimulated macrophages localized within atherosclerotic plaque to engulf and destroy dead and dying cells by a process called efferocytosis. Administration of the nanoparticles to mice predisposed to develop atherosclerosis reduced plaque burden without detectable damage to healthy tissue. Nat. Nanotechnol. 15 , 154 (2020).