2. Academic Validation
  3. Targeted inflammatory microenvironment remodeling and NIR-II photothermal therapy for abdominal aortic aneurysm

Targeted inflammatory microenvironment remodeling and NIR-II photothermal therapy for abdominal aortic aneurysm

  • Mater Today Bio. 2026 Jan 6:36:102770. doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102770.
Yijun Liu 1,  Peng Qiu 1,  Huifang Hao 2,  Ang'ang Ding 3,  Zhaoyu Wu 1,  Jiahao Lei 1,  Zhaoxi Peng 1,  Hongji Pu 1,  Chenlin Zeng 1,  Hongbin Guo 1,  Xiaodong Wu 1,  Huaxiang Lu 1,  Jinbao Qin 1,  Ruihua Wang 1,  Haoqi Liu 4,  Kaichuang Ye 1,  Xinwu Lu 1 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
  • 2 Institute of Intelligent Health Diagnosis and Treatment, School of Automation and Intelligent Sensing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
  • 3 Department of Ultrasound, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
  • 4 Department of Cardiology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200437, China.
  • 5 Shanghai Jiao Tong University Vascular Disease Center, Shanghai, China.
PMID: 41567736 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.102770
Abstract

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative aortic disease with high rupture-associated mortality. There is no effective medical therapy for early intervention, inflammatory microenvironment remodeling is a crucial therapeutic strategy. Herein, we designed a multifunctional nanoplatform, Cu9S8@MCC950-Belnacasan-cRGDfK (CS@MBR) for AAA treatment. This platform employed a Cu9S8 core for near-infrared-II (NIR-II) photothermal therapy (PTT), encapsulated NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors (MCC950 and Belnacasan), and coated with a cRGDfK peptide for active targeting of the aneurysm. In vitro, CS@MBR with mild PTT inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation, decreased pro-inflammatory macrophage polarization, and prevented the phenotype switching of vascular smooth muscle cells. In vivo, CS@MBR demonstrated excellent accumulation at the aneurysm site in an angiotensin-II-induced murine AAA model. Upon NIR-II irradiation, the treatment effectively inhibited AAA development, damage of elastic fibers, and imbalance of the inflammatory microenvironment. This study presents a promising, targeted nanotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of AAA and Other inflammatory vascular diseases.

Keywords

Abdominal aortic aneurysm; Active targeting; Cu9S8; Inflammatory microenvironment remodeling; NLRP3 inflammasome; Photothermal therapy.

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