Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec 28;13(1):88.
doi: 10.3390/polym13010088.

Modulation of Macrophages M1/M2 Polarization Using Carbohydrate-Functionalized Polymeric Nanoparticles

Raquel G D Andrade  1 , Bruno Reis  2   3 , Benjamin Costas  2   3 , Sofia A Costa Lima  1 , Salette Reis  2
Affiliations
Review

Modulation of Macrophages M1/M2 Polarization Using Carbohydrate-Functionalized Polymeric Nanoparticles

Raquel G D Andrade et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Exploiting surface endocytosis receptors using carbohydrate-conjugated nanocarriers brings outstanding approaches to an efficient delivery towards a specific target. Macrophages are cells of innate immunity found throughout the body. Plasticity of macrophages is evidenced by alterations in phenotypic polarization in response to stimuli, and is associated with changes in effector molecules, receptor expression, and cytokine profile. M1-polarized macrophages are involved in pro-inflammatory responses while M2 macrophages are capable of anti-inflammatory response and tissue repair. Modulation of macrophages' activation state is an effective approach for several disease therapies, mediated by carbohydrate-coated nanocarriers. In this review, polymeric nanocarriers targeting macrophages are described in terms of production methods and conjugation strategies, highlighting the role of mannose receptor in the polarization of macrophages, and targeting approaches for infectious diseases, cancer immunotherapy, and prevention. Translation of this nanomedicine approach still requires further elucidation of the interaction mechanism between nanocarriers and macrophages towards clinical applications.

Keywords: glyconanoparticles; immunotherapy; infectious diseases; mannose receptors; nutraceuticals.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the two types of polymeric nanoparticles: nanocapsules (A) and nanospheres (B). Nanocapsules comprise an inner cavity, composed of water or a semi solid (oil), and covered with a polymer membrane, while in nanospheres the entire mass is a polymer matrix. Drug molecules can be entrapped in both types of nanoparticles.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagram representing the options of production methods to obtain polymeric nanoparticles. Abbreviations: NMP (nitroxide-mediated polymerization); ATRP (atom transfer radical polymerization); RAFT (reversible addition and fragmentation transfer chain polymerization).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Chemical structure of some carbohydrates commonly used to produce glyconanoparticles. (A) Galactose; (B) mannose; (C) mannan.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Glyconanoparticle interaction with macrophages through receptor mediated endocytosis mechanism.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Steichen D.S., Caldorera-Moore M., Peppas N.A. A review of current nanoparticle and targeting moieties for the delivery of cancer therapeutics. Eur. J. Pharm. Sci. 2013;48:416–427. doi: 10.1016/j.ejps.2012.12.006. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Davies L.C., Jenkins S.J., Allen J.E., Taylor P.R. Tissue-resident macrophages. Nat. Immunol. 2013;14:986–995. doi: 10.1038/ni.2705. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Murray P.J., Allen J.E., Biswas S.K., Fisher E.A., Gilroy D.W., Goerdt S., Gordon S., Hamilton J.A., Ivashkiv L.B., Lawrence T., et al. Macrophage activation and polarization: Nomenclature and experimental guidelines. Immunity. 2014;41:14–20. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2014.06.008. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mukhtar M., Ali H., Ahmed N., Munir R., Talib S., Khan A.S., Ambrus R. Drug delivery to macrophages: A review of nano-therapeutics targeted approach for inflammatory disorders and cancer. Expert Opin. Drug Deliv. 2020;17:1239–1257. doi: 10.1080/17425247.2020.1783237. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Elsabahy M., Wooley K.L. Design of polymeric nanoparticles for biomedical delivery applications. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2012;41:2545–2561. doi: 10.1039/c2cs15327k. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources