Drug DeliveryPub Date : 2026-12-31Epub Date: 2026-10-29DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2026.2738344
Jie Xu, Yuhao Chen, Xuan Zhao, Huiyun Li, Honggui Chen, Xiang Ding, Yang Cui, Tingjian Wang, Ning Wang, Caifeng Deng, Guanghua Lei, Chao Zeng, Hui Li
{"title":"Sustained release of metformin through an injectable hydrogel for synergistic macrophage reprogramming and ROS scavenging in the analgesic treatment of osteoarthritis.","authors":"Jie Xu, Yuhao Chen, Xuan Zhao, Huiyun Li, Honggui Chen, Xiang Ding, Yang Cui, Tingjian Wang, Ning Wang, Caifeng Deng, Guanghua Lei, Chao Zeng, Hui Li","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2026.2738344","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10717544.2026.2738344","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Osteoarthritis (OA), a prevalent joint disorder affecting millions worldwide, is primarily characterized by chronic pain driven by synovial M1-polarized macrophages, which perpetuate inflammation and generate excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, existing pharmacological treatments offer limited long-term efficacy. Metformin, a known modulator of M1 macrophage polarization and ROS production, has demonstrated efficacy in alleviating OA pain via oral administration. Yet, its therapeutic translation is hindered by poor joint tissue bioavailability. Intra-articular (IA) delivery offers a clinically attractive solution, achieving high local drug concentrations while minimizing systemic exposure, but conventional IA formulations are rapidly cleared from the joint space, restricting their efficacy. We designed an injectable hydrogel based on dopamine (DA) and carboxyl-terminated Pluronic F127 (F127) and crosslinked the hydrogel network via oxidative coupling between catechol groups using an H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>/horseradish peroxidase (HRP) system (termed 'F127-DA-HRP') to deliver metformin (termed 'Met-F127-DA-HRP') intra-articularly in a sustained manner. The Met-F127-DA-HRP hydrogel scavenges ROS through its catechol groups and sustained metformin release, while also promoting M1-to-M2 macrophage repolarization and suppressing inflammatory cytokines. Importantly, a single IA injection of Met-F127-DA-HRP hydrogel maintained 2-fold higher metformin concentrations in joint tissues compared to Met-F127 hydrogel, with sustained retention for up to 30 days. In monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA, IA injection of Met-F127-DA-HRP hydrogel successfully relieved OA pain and ameliorated synovitis with long-lasting effects. Collectively, this work introduces a potent therapeutic strategy for the sustained management of OA pain by utilizing an injectable hydrogel to prolong the IA residency of metformin, offering long-acting IA analgesia through macrophage-directed immunomodulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2738344"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149285868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Drug DeliveryPub Date : 2026-12-31Epub Date: 2025-12-24DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2025.2607779
Benyamin Naranjani, Shakhawath Hossain, Marco Tjakra, Pardis Azhand, Christel Bergström, Patrick Sinko, Per Larsson
{"title":"Mechanics of small intestine motility for oral macromolecular delivery: modelling segmentation versus peristalsis.","authors":"Benyamin Naranjani, Shakhawath Hossain, Marco Tjakra, Pardis Azhand, Christel Bergström, Patrick Sinko, Per Larsson","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2607779","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2607779","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intestinal motility, including peristalsis and segmentation, drives complex fluid movements critical for the oral delivery of biologics and other macromolecules. Despite advances, oral delivery remains commercially limited by low bioavailability, often attributed to poor epithelial permeability. However, variability in motility patterns may also play a critical role, influencing intraluminal distribution and thus absorption, yet this aspect remains underexplored. Here, we combine computational fluid dynamics and machine learning to evaluate how motility type, intensity, pocket size, contractility, and fluid composition affect the delivery of a model macromolecule (insulin) and a permeation enhancer (sodium caprate, C10). We find that segmentation, especially at light intensity, consistently enhances epithelial colocalisation over peristalsis. Under segmentation, smaller pocket sizes (2 mL versus 10 mL) and stronger contractility (occlusion ratio 0.3) yielded optimal performance. Our extreme gradient boosting regression model identified pocket volume, contractility, and motility type as dominant predictors of colocalisation. In a comparative analysis, segmentation led to 128% and 137% higher maximum normalised concentrations of insulin and C10, respectively, than moderate peristalsis with a nutritional drink. Overall, segmentation achieved 6.7-fold and 8.0-fold higher average maximum normalised concentrations for insulin and C10, respectively. These results emphasise segmentation, characteristic of the fed state, as a superior motility pattern for macromolecular absorption compared to peristalsis during the migrating motor complex (MMC). By elucidating the interplay between motility and transport, our findings may guide the design of more effective oral formulations and support personalised strategies for drug delivery based on individual motility profiles.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2607779"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12777773/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145818588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Drug DeliveryPub Date : 2026-12-31Epub Date: 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2025.2577137
Aidin Mohammadi Zonouz, Mehrshad Ebrahimpour, Kimia Zibaei, Mohammad Ramezani, Sahar Taghavi, Khalil Abnous, Seyed Mohammad Taghdisi, Mona Alibolandi
{"title":"Polymersome-based nanomedicine for combined cancer therapy.","authors":"Aidin Mohammadi Zonouz, Mehrshad Ebrahimpour, Kimia Zibaei, Mohammad Ramezani, Sahar Taghavi, Khalil Abnous, Seyed Mohammad Taghdisi, Mona Alibolandi","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2577137","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2577137","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer is a complex disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and spread, often resulting in metastasis. The use of combination therapy, which involves the simultaneous application of two or more treatment methods, aims to enhance effectiveness and improve patient outcomes. This approach can enhance efficacy by targeting multiple mechanisms of cancer progression, leading to improved tumor response rates and survival. When combination therapy utilizes a codelivery platform, it enables dose reduction of each agent, thereby reducing side effects and increasing the therapeutic index. The simultaneous delivery of two or more drugs and therapeutic agents to solid tumors remains a major challenge in the development of more effective treatments. Polymersomes, owing to their unique and beneficial properties, are increasingly viewed as promising carriers for this purpose. They provide an excellent platform for combination therapies in cancer treatment. This review summarizes polymersome-based combination therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, antiangiogenic therapy, magnetic hyperthermia, dynamic therapy, starvation therapy, immunotherapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), and gene therapy. It also highlights recent advances and future prospects in polymersome-based combination cancer treatments. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges and opportunities in using polymersomes as drug codelivery vehicles, thereby enhancing our understanding of nanomedicine, especially in combination cancer therapies. Polymersome-based combination therapies have the potential to significantly transform current cancer treatments by enhancing accessibility, precision, and effectiveness while minimizing off-target effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2577137"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12724104/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145803438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Drug DeliveryPub Date : 2026-12-31Epub Date: 2026-01-15DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2026.2614125
Maria Lummerstorfer, Ulrich Lächelt
{"title":"Non-Viral CRISPR carriers: transient delivery with lasting effects.","authors":"Maria Lummerstorfer, Ulrich Lächelt","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2026.2614125","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10717544.2026.2614125","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>CRISPR-Cas9 has revolutionized the field of genome editing. While conventional gene supplementation therapies and the market of related gene therapy products are dominated by viral vectors, non-viral delivery strategies are increasingly being explored for <i>in vivo</i> CRISPR applications. Given the permanent nature of genome editing, prolonged expression of the CRISPR machinery is not required, and transient delivery nevertheless can achieve lasting therapeutic effects. In contrast, short-term availability of genome editing components is rather considered advantageous to reduce the risk of off-target effects in a 'hit-and-run' fashion. In this article, we provide a systematic survey of the current clinical trial landscape with focus on <i>in vivo</i> CRISPR therapies and discuss utilized delivery strategies. As of December 2025, 136 CRISPR trials are ongoing, including 36 based on <i>in vivo</i> delivery of CRISPR components which show a clear shift towards non-viral vectors. The article describes the clinically employed CRISPR technologies and non-viral delivery platforms, highlighting both the present opportunities and key challenges associated with CRISPR delivery in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2614125"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12818331/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145988240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Drug DeliveryPub Date : 2026-12-31Epub Date: 2026-07-22DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2026.2702143
Thabata Muta, Songhita Mukhopadhyay, Benjamin Noll, Yunmei Song, Sanjay Garg
{"title":"Development and <i>in vivo</i> pharmacokinetic evaluation of a phospholipid complex self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (PLC-SNEDDS) for enhanced oral bioavailability of cannabidiol.","authors":"Thabata Muta, Songhita Mukhopadhyay, Benjamin Noll, Yunmei Song, Sanjay Garg","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2026.2702143","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10717544.2026.2702143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cannabidiol (CBD) exhibits poor oral bioavailability (approximately 6%) due to low solubility and excessive first-pass metabolism, limiting its therapeutic potential. This study introduces a novel phospholipid complex self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (CBD-PLC-SNEDDS) to enhance CBD delivery. CBD-PLC was integrated into an optimized SNEDDS <i>via</i> Design of Experiments (DoE), yielding nanoemulsions with 118.9 ± 0.77 nm particle size, 0.258 PDI, and -21.9 mV zeta potential. Physicochemical characterization (DSC, FTIR) confirmed amorphization and physical encapsulation without chemical alteration. <i>In vitro</i> dissolution showed 100% CBD release within 1 h for CBD-PLC-SNEDDS vs. 8 h for CBD-SNEDDS. Stability studies (ICH guidelines) retained 94.73% ± 0.62% CBD at 25 °C/60% RH and 80.21% ± 0.61% at 40 °C/75% RH after 4 months with preservatives. <i>In vivo</i> pharmacokinetics in Sprague-Dawley rats (<i>n</i> = 9, 20 mg/kg oral; 4 mg/kg IV) demonstrated that CBD-PLC-SNEDDS significantly enhanced systemic exposure, achieving a calculated absolute bioavailability (F) of 92%, compared to 47% for the oleic acid control. The formulation yielded a 5-fold higher <i>C</i> <sub>max</sub> (593 ± 246 vs 118 ± 63 ng/mL) doubled AUC<sub>0-∞</sub> (88 vs. 45 h·kg·ng/mL/mg), faster <i>T</i> <sub>max</sub> (2 ± 0.3 vs. 7.4 ± 2.3 h), and extended <i>T</i> <sub>1/2</sub> (3.7 ± 0.9 vs. 1.9 ± 0.6 h) versus control. CBD-PLC alone yielded only 39%. IVIVC modelling <i>via</i> Wagner-Nelson deconvolution established a strong correlation (R<sup>2</sup> > 0.7) between <i>in vitro</i> dissolution and <i>in vivo</i> absorption, validating the system's predictive performance. This synergistic PLC-SNEDDS platform outperforms prior systems, offering a scalable template for lipophilic drugs and paving the way for clinical CBD therapeutics.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2702143"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13398106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148561045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tumor microenvironment-responsive conformational activation of apoA-I mimetic peptides for targeted cancer therapy.","authors":"Mengjie Rui, Lei Fang, Mengfei Jia, Wenyan Liang, Yinfeng Li, Yaoshun Ruan, Chunlai Feng","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2604086","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2604086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) mimetic peptides have garnered attention as potential anticancer agents owing to their role in cholesterol metabolism and ability to interact with the SR-BI receptor. However, their tendency to form lipid-bound structures in circulation limits their tumor-targeting therapeutic potential and raises the risk of off-target effects. In this study, we engineered a stimuli-responsive ApoA-I mimetic peptide by incorporating reactive oxygen species (ROS) -responsive amino acid derivatives into its sequence. Under normal physiological conditions, the peptide adopted a disordered conformation, minimizing nonspecific interactions. In contrast, the exposure to the tumor microenvironment, which is characterized by low pH and elevated ROS, could trigger a conformational transition to a structured <i>α</i>-helical state, thereby enhancing its membrane-disruptive and tumor-targeting capabilities. Molecular dynamics simulations predicted a rapid increase in <i>α</i>-helical content for the peptide candidate 5A under tumor-like conditions. These predictions were experimentally validated using circular dichroism spectroscopy, liposome leakage assays, and transmission electron microscopy, which demonstrated that peptide 5A effectively interacted with lipid membranes only upon activation in a tumor-like environment. <i>In vitro</i> cytotoxicity assays further confirmed the selective anticancer activity of peptide 5A under acidic conditions, while <i>in vivo</i> imaging and tumor inhibition studies in breast cancer models revealed significant tumor accumulation and a tumor growth inhibition rate of up to 71.43% at a 6 mg/kg dose. Our results demonstrated the potential of stimuli-responsive ApoA-I mimetic peptides for targeted cancer therapy, offering a promising strategy to enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2604086"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12713209/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145767549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Drug DeliveryPub Date : 2026-12-31Epub Date: 2026-10-12DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2026.2738276
Tal Yagev, Itay Fayer, Itay Adar, Gal Halbi, Anne Bernheim-Groswasser, Rony Granek
{"title":"Modelling nano-particle-PEG-NLS complexes for nucleus-targeted drug delivery: revisiting the multi-dynein nano-cargo transport on microtubules.","authors":"Tal Yagev, Itay Fayer, Itay Adar, Gal Halbi, Anne Bernheim-Groswasser, Rony Granek","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2026.2738276","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10717544.2026.2738276","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Efficient transport to the nuclear envelope is a prerequisite for many nucleus-targeted drug delivery strategies. We develop an enhanced, energy-based simulation of spherical nanoparticle (NP) complexes hauled by multiple dynein motors via flexible polymer linkers, aimed at deriving design rules for nucleus-directed delivery. The model extends prior work by treating dynein as a semi-flexible polymer and enforcing path-wise steric exclusion along full stepping trajectories. Event propensities follow a Monte-Carlo scheme with energies that couple linker entropy, dynein bending, and binding enthalpy; post-event mechanical relaxation uses gradient descent. We compare our model results to recent motility assays of spherical NPs decorated with polyethylene-glycol (PEG) polymers, each ending with a nuclear-localisation-signal (NLS) peptide that can recruit dynein from the cytoplasm. With standardised biophysical parameters, the model captures the observed dependence on motor number: longitudinal velocity decreases with dynein load, whereas run-distance and run-time increase. For mean NP-bound motors between 1 and 6, the model results lie within the experimental 95% confidence intervals. A systematic scan of polymer contour length, for a 20 nm radius cargo hauled by six motors, reveals a clear optimum of the run-time and run-length at about 40 nm length, despite a reduction in velocity. Similar results, for different cargo sizes and motor loading, can be obtained using our model-based computer code. They can provide a quantitative basis for tuning linker contour length (and, secondarily, motor loading by tuning PEG-NLS density) when engineering NP vehicles that exploit native microtubule transport for nucleus-directed delivery.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2738276"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13665706/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149167080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Drug DeliveryPub Date : 2026-12-31Epub Date: 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1080/10717544.2025.2608913
Vitalii Rizov, Peter Lukáč, Mikuláš Mlček, Petr Kozlík, Tomáš Křížek, Petr Jelínek, Petr Šodek, Michaela Sklenárová, Viktória Paulusová, Olesia Symkanych, Daniel Stránský, Anežka Klouček, Miroslav Šoóš, Martin Šíma, Tomáš Grus, Ondřej Slanař, Pavel Ryšánek
{"title":"Cannabidiol lymphatic transport after oral administration assessed using a novel thoracic lymph duct cannulated conscious pig model.","authors":"Vitalii Rizov, Peter Lukáč, Mikuláš Mlček, Petr Kozlík, Tomáš Křížek, Petr Jelínek, Petr Šodek, Michaela Sklenárová, Viktória Paulusová, Olesia Symkanych, Daniel Stránský, Anežka Klouček, Miroslav Šoóš, Martin Šíma, Tomáš Grus, Ondřej Slanař, Pavel Ryšánek","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2608913","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2608913","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lymphatic transport of drugs after oral administration is an important physiological process in highly lipophilic compounds, such as cannabidiol (CBD). The majority of lymphatic transport studies have been historically conducted in anesthetized rats. However, this animal model differs significantly from the humans regarding both anatomical and physiological features. The aim of this study was therefore to develop a novel animal model using pigs and to provide an interspecies comparison for the lymphatic transport of CBD. The thoracic lymph duct was cannulated via thoracotomy in three pigs and lymph and blood were sampled from conscious animals to assess the lymphatic transport parameters and basic pharmacokinetic parameters of CBD administered in two distinct drug formulations (sesame oil-based solution and nanoemulsion) using a two-period cross-over study design. The mean ± SD oral bioavailability (F) was 6.1 ± 0.9% for the oil solution and 9.2 ± 6.6% for the nanoemulsion. The relative bioavailability via lymph (F<sub>RL</sub>), i.e. the percentage of the systemically available drug that has been transported through the mesenteric lymph, was 20 ± 10% and 11 ± 13%, respectively. Whereas the F<sub>RL</sub> for the oil solution was 2.3-fold lower in pigs compared to rats, the F<sub>RL</sub> for the nanoemulsion was almost identical for both species. In conclusion, the lymphatic transport of CBD plays an important role after its oral administration. The particular parameters differed significantly between the rodent and higher non-rodent species. The use of higher species models is therefore warranted for the lymphatic transport assessment in settings close to humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2608913"},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12777811/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145849169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Harnessing fluorescent probes for molecular diagnosis and theranostics of atherosclerosis.","authors":"Xiang Mao, Xia Zhao, Zhigang Ni, Xinwen Xu, Qiang Liu, Peng Qu","doi":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2595728","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10717544.2025.2595728","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, posing a serious threat to human health. Atherosclerosis (AS), the pathological basis of most cardiovascular diseases, is characterized by arterial wall thickening caused by chronic inflammation. In recent years, molecular probes have attracted much attention as versatile tools for the diagnosis and treatment of AS, offering capabilities in imaging, drug monitoring, and surgical navigation. The existing probes include fluorescent probes, SERS probes, nuclear medicine probes, self-assembled nanoprobes, UC-FRET probes, photothermal probes, and multimodal probes. Among them, fluorescent probes have emerged as a research focus because of their excellent targeting effect, biocompatibility, and multimodal compatibility. This review summarizes recent advances in the classification and synthesis of fluorescent probes, their targeted applications in AS, and their auxiliary diagnosis and treatment of AS. By highlighting current progress and key challenges, this work aims to provide valuable insights to support further development and facilitate the advancement of fluorescent probe technologies in the context of AS, while promoting the clinical application of fluorescent probes.</p>","PeriodicalId":11679,"journal":{"name":"Drug Delivery","volume":"33 1","pages":"2595728"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12794718/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145932686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}