Nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery in modern cardiology

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of death worldwide. The loss of cardiomyocytes resulting from injuries such as acute MI often leads to fibrotic scarring and depressed cardiac function. The use of targeted drug delivery systems is always necessary as they provide unique advantages for increasing efficacy and reducing undesirable effects. Nanoparticles (NPs) are the most common means of delivering therapeutic agents to target tissues. NPs for drug delivery can be composed of various nanomaterials and structures, including lipids, polymers, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, and metal nanoparticles. We have reviewed approaches to cardio-specific drug delivery based on NPs for the treatment of ischemic heart disease in preclinical and clinical studies. Drug delivery based on NPs has the potential for specific targeting of tissues and cells, as well as for prolonged release of multiple therapeutic agents. However, the use of NPs in the therapy of cardiovascular diseases is relatively limited compared to other areas such as oncology and neurology. One of the main obstacles is the lack of specificity in current targeting systems for the heart. Future research is needed to identify specific ligands/receptors in cardiomyocytes and develop new NPs with high affinity and specificity.