Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems for Atherosclerosis: Precision Targeting, Inflammatory Modulation, and Plaque Stabilization

Atherosclerosis remains a leading contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, presenting considerable therapeutic challenges due to its multifaceted and complex pathogenesis. This review systematically explores the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying atherosclerosis and examines recent advances in nanoparticle drug delivery systems (NDDSs) tailored for atherosclerosis treatment. NDDS has many advantages in this setting. It can precisely modulate the cellular activities critical to atherosclerotic progression, and by using targeted delivery strategies directed at lesion-specific biomarkers and incorporating stimulus-responsive drug release mechanisms responsive to the plaque microenvironments, it can significantly increase therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse systemic and off-target effects. Thus, NDDS effectively addresses the limitations of traditional pharmacological treatments, enabling personalized interventions that can attenuate disease progression, stabilize vulnerable plaques, and facilitate plaque regression. This review highlights the transformative possibilities of NDDSs, emphasizing their potential to redefine current therapeutic paradigms and improve patient outcomes in atherosclerosis.