Templated Spherical High Density Lipoprotein Nanoparticles

摘要

High density lipoprotein (HDL) is a dynamic serum nanostructure protective against the development of atherosclerosis and resultant illnesses such as heart disease and stroke. Increasing circulating serum HDL levels provides a promising therapeutic approach to preventing and, potentially, reversing atherosclerosis by augmenting reverse cholesterol transport. However, a facile route to synthetic HDL remains a challenge, as methods to control and mimic the size, surface chemistry, and activity of HDL have not yet been demonstrated. Due in part to their biocompatibility and tailorability, gold nanoparticle (Au NP) conjugates have shown promise as therapeutics, intracellular gene regulation agents, and in vitro diagnostic probes.