Abstract
Nanoparticles have numerous biomedical applications including, but not limited to,
targeted drug delivery, diagnostic imaging, sensors, and implants for a wide range
of diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and tuberculosis. Although
the mode of delivery of the nanoparticles depends on the application and the disease,
the nanoparticles are often in immediate contact with the systemic circulation either
because of intravenous administration or their ability to enter the bloodstream with
relative ease or their longer survival time in circulation. Once in circulation, the
nanoparticles may elicit unintended hemostatic and inflammatory responses, and hence
the design of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications should take broad hemocompatibility
concerns into consideration. In this review, we present the principles underlying
the structural and functional design of various classes of nanoparticles that are
currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, categorize these particles
based on their interactions with cardiovascular tissues and ensuing adverse events,
and also describe various in vitro assays that may be used evaluate their hemocompatibility.
Keywords
thrombogenicity - hemolysis - cardiovascular - liposomes - polymeric nanoparticles
- crystalline nanoparticles - inorganic nanoparticles
