{"title":"Targeting the Immune-Neurovascular\u0000Interface to Ameliorate\u0000Pericyte Dysfunction with a Multifunctional Peptide–Drug Conjugate\u0000Nanoprodrug for Multiple Sclerosis Therapy","authors":"Yongkang Mu,Kaichao Wen,Lingling Zhou,Zhiyong Gu,Tianying Wang,Yixian Li,Xiyu Yang,Xuan Liu,Xinyi Zhang,Wenya Chi,Nianni Zhang,Peng Yang,Qizhi Zhang","doi":"10.1021/acsnano.6c11475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c11475","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Pericyte dysfunction triggers blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption and subsequent aberrant immune infiltration in multiple sclerosis (MS), yet targeted interventions remain lacking. Here, we engineered a dual-functional fusion peptide (VLC) for pericyte targeting and therapeutic intervention and subsequently conjugated it with luteolin to construct a peptide–drug conjugate (PDC)-based ROS-responsive nanoprodrug (VLC@Lut-NPs). This system significantly suppressed MMP-9 overactivation and mitigated neuroinflammation. To optimize the pharmacokinetic profile of the PDC nanotherapeutic, we adopted subcutaneous administration, achieving a prolonged circulation half-life and enhancing brain drug accumulation (AUCbrain) by 2.65-fold compared with intravenous injection. In two MS models, VLC@Lut-NPs restored pericyte homeostasis, reinforced BBB integrity, attenuated aberrant peripheral immune infiltration, and ultimately promoted myelin repair and regeneration. Notably, a once-every-other-day subcutaneous regimen outperformed daily intravenous administration. By bridging peripheral immunity and the neurovascular unit, this work identifies pericytes as a central regulatory node and establishes a pericyte-targeted PDC nanoplatform for durable MS treatment, highlighting its translational potential as a complementary strategy to conventional immunomodulatory approaches.","PeriodicalId":21,"journal":{"name":"ACS Nano","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149209980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}