Nanomedicines for cardiovascular diseases: Lessons learned and pathways forward

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are vital causes of global mortality. Apart from lifestyle intervention like exercise for high-risk groups or patients at early period, various medical interventions such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have been clinically used to reduce progression and prevalence of CVDs. However, invasive surgery risk and severe complications still contribute to ventricular remodeling, even heart failure. Innovations in nanomedicines have fueled impressive medical advances, representing a CVD therapeutic alternative. Currently, clinical translation of nanomedicines from bench to bedside continues to suffer unpredictable biosafety and orchestrated behavior mechanism, which, if appropriately addressed, might pave the way for their clinical implementation in the future. While state-of-the-art advances in CVDs nanomedicines are widely summarized in this review, the focus lies on urgent preclinical concerns and is transitioned to the ongoing clinical trials including stem cells-based, extracellular vesicles (EV)-based, gene, and Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR T) cell therapy whose clinically applicable potential in CVD therapy will hopefully provide first answers. Overall, this review aims to provide a concise but comprehensive understanding of perspectives and challenges of CVDs nanomedicines, especially from a clinical perspective.