Nanoparticle-based approaches for sepsis treatment: Current trends and perspectives

Sepsis is a devastating syndrome resulting from organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. The management of patients is currently primarily based on controlling the infection and restoring cardiovascular/respiratory homeostasis. Unfortunately, except for systemic corticosteroid therapy, no approved immunomodulatory treatment for sepsis exists. However, the ability of nanoparticles to cross biological barriers and deliver therapeutic agents in a targeted manner makes them particularly attractive to hinder a number of mechanisms within sepsis pathology. While historically, nanoparticles have been predominantly developed for antimicrobial strategies, in the last few years, several remarkable studies have demonstrated the possible application of nanomaterials to hamper either early acute inflammation or sepsis-induced immunosuppression. Thus, this review summarizes current knowledge on nanoparticle-based therapies to address the complex multicellular pathways activated during sepsis. The strategies presented here encompass a wide range of interventions, from antibacterial and cleansing techniques to cell-specific modulation of both hyper and hypoinflammation. Finally, nucleic acid-based therapies are discussed, as new RNA-loaded nanoparticles to treat sepsis have very recently emerged.