Myocardial infarction may be treated by modulating the immune response

Researchers from Biomaterials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), together with researchers from the Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, have developed a new treatment for myocardial infarction that uses nanovesicles derived from fibroblasts with induced apoptosis to modulate the immune response.

The research team identified the possibility of treating severe myocardial infarction by reducing the inflammatory response in the heart muscle through a nanomedicine based on apoptotic cells, which are cells that commit suicide due to biochemical changes in their cells. This response was achieved by attaching peptides specific to the site of ischemic myocardial infarction and substances specific to macrophage phagocytosis to the surface of fibroblasts. To this end, the team developed anti-inflammatory nanovesicles that can be delivered specifically to macrophages at the site of myocardial infarction.

In animal studies, they found that intravenously injected nanovesicles were effectively delivered to the myocardial infarction site in rats and were specifically recruited to macrophages. As a result, the left ventricular ejection fraction, an indicator of the contractile force of the left ventricle, increased by more than 1.5 times compared to the control group for 4 weeks. In addition, the effects of reducing inflammation and fibrosis, and increasing blood vessels preservation rate enhanced cardiomyocyte survival, which resulted in cardiac function improvement.

Reference: Advanced Functional Materials, DOI 10.1002/adfm.202210864, Targeted Delivery of Apoptotic Cell-Derived Nanovesicles Prevents Cardiac Remodeling and Attenuates Cardiac Function Exacerbation