CD44-targeted melanin-based nanoplatform for alleviation of ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious kidney disease with high morbidity and mortality. However, there is no effective clinical treatment strategy. Herein, we developed a CD44 targeting nanoplatform based on HA-assembled melanin NPs covalently coupled with dexamethasone for I/R-induced AKI therapy by alleviating oxidative/inflammatory- induced damage. The constructed HA-MNP-DXM NPs had good dispersion, stability, and broad-spectrum scavenging capabilities against multiple reactive free radicals. Moreover, the NPs could be efficiently internalized and exhibited antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects in CoCl2-stimulated renal tubular epithelial NRK-52E cells. Furthermore, the I/R-induced AKI murine model was established to evaluate the in vivo performance of NPs. The results suggested the NPs could specifically target impaired kidneys upon intravenous administration according to NIR-II fluorescence imaging and showed high biosafety. Importantly, the NPs could improve renal function, alleviate oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions, inhibit apoptosis of tubular cells, and restore mitochondrial structure and function, exhibiting excellent therapeutic effects. Further therapeutic mechanism indicated the NPs maintained the cellular/mitochondrial redox balance by modulating the Nrf2 and HO-1 expression. Therefore, the NPs can be a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of I/R-induced AKI.