Biomimetic Nanomaterials for The Immunomodulation of The Cardiosplenic Axis Post-Myocardial Infarction.

The spleen is an important mediator of both adaptive and innate immunity. As such, attempts to modulate the immune response provided by the spleen may be conducive to improved outcomes for numerous diseases throughout the body. Here, we use biomimicry to rationally design nanomaterials capable of splenic retention and immunomodulation for the treatment of disease in a distant organ, the post-infarct heart. Engineered senescent erythrocyte-derived nanotheranostic (eSENTs) were generated, demonstrating significant uptake by the immune cells of the spleen including T and B cells, as well as monocytes and macrophages. When loaded with suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), the nanoagents exhibit a potent therapeutic effect, reducing infarct size by 14% at 72 hours post-myocardial infarction when given as a single intravenous dose 2 hours after injury. These results are supportive of our hypothesis that RBC-derived biomimicry may provide new approaches for the targeted modulation of the pathological processes involved in myocardial infarction, thus further experiments to decisively confirm the mechanisms of action are currently underway. This novel concept may have far-reaching applicability for the treatment of a number of both acute and chronic conditions where the immune responses are either stimulated or suppressed by the splenic (auto)immune milieu. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.