High-density lipoprotein mimetic nanotherapeutics for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) serves as a natural nanoparticle with compositional and functional heterogeneity and contributes to the maintenance of lipid metabolism and various biological functions. HDL also transports endogenous microRNAs, vitamins, hormones, and proteins through blood and interstitial fluids to various organs. These unique and diverse features of HDL have encouraged its applications for the transport of therapeutics and diagnostic reagents in the last decade. In this review, we describe the heterogeneous characteristics and biological functions of HDL and highlight HDL mimetic approaches, including apolipoprotein mimetic peptides and reconstituted HDL nanoparticles. Given the potential of HDL as a nanocarrier delivering various therapeutic agents, we discuss the current representative studies of HDL mimetic nanotherapeutics for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and analyze the current challenges and future perspective.