Hybrid biomineralized nanovesicles to enhance inflamed lung biodistribution and reduce side effect of glucocorticoid for ARDS therapy

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a critical illness characterized by severe lung inflammation. Improving the delivery efficiency and achieving the controlled release of anti-inflammatory drugs at the lung inflammatory site are major challenges in ARDS therapy. Taking advantage of the increased pulmonary vascular permeability and a slightly acidic-inflammatory microenvironment, pH-responsive mineralized nanoparticles based on dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DSP) and Ca2+ were constructed. By further biomimetic modification with M2 macrophage membranes, hybrid mineralized nanovesicles (MM@LCaP) were designed to possess immunomodulatory ability from the membranes and preserve the pH-sensitivity from core nanoparticles for responsive drug release under acidic inflammatory conditions. Compared with healthy mice, the lung/liver accumulation of MM@LCaP in inflammatory mice was increased by around 5.5 times at 48 h after intravenous injection. MM@LCaP promoted the polarization of anti-inflammatory macrophages, calmed inflammatory cytokines, and exhibited a comprehensive therapeutic outcome. Moreover, MM@LCaP improved the safety profile of glucocorticoids. Taken together, the hybrid mineralized nanovesicles-based drug delivery strategy may offer promising ideas for enhancing the efficacy and reducing the toxicity of clinical drugs.