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Reprogramming Atherosclerosis: Precision Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine, and Immune-Targeted Therapies for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
Paschalis Karakasis, Panagiotis Theofilis, Panayotis K. Vlachakis, Konstantinos Grigoriou, Dimitrios Patoulias, Antonios P. Antoniadis, Nikolaos Fragakis. Pharmaceutics, 2025-08-07
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Atherosclerosis is a progressive, multifactorial disease driven by the interplay of lipid dysregulation, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and maladaptive vascular remodeling. Despite advances in systemic lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory therapies, residual cardiovascular risk persists, highlighting the need for more precise interventions. Targeted drug delivery represents a transformative strategy, offering the potential to modulate key pathogenic processes within atherosclerotic plaques while minimizing systemic exposure and off-target effects. Recent innovations span a diverse array of platforms, including nanoparticles, liposomes, exosomes, polymeric carriers, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), engineered to engage distinct pathological features such as inflamed endothelium, dysfunctional macrophages, oxidative microenvironments, and aberrant lipid metabolism. Ligand-based, biomimetic, and stimuli-responsive delivery systems further enhance spatial and temporal precision. In parallel, advances in in-silico modeling and imaging-guided approaches are accelerating the rational design of multifunctional nanotherapeutics with theranostic capabilities. Beyond targeting lipids and inflammation, emerging strategies seek to modulate immune checkpoints, restore endothelial homeostasis, and reprogram plaque-resident macrophages. This review provides an integrated overview of the mechanistic underpinnings of atherogenesis and highlights state-of-the-art targeted delivery systems under preclinical and clinical investigation. By synthesizing recent advances, we aim to elucidate how precision-guided drug delivery is reshaping the therapeutic landscape of atherosclerosis and to chart future directions toward clinical translation and personalized vascular medicine.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Karakasis, P., Theofilis, P., Vlachakis, P. K., Grigoriou, K., Patoulias, D., Antoniadis, A. P., et al. (2025). Reprogramming Atherosclerosis: Precision Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine, and Immune-Targeted Therapies for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction. Pharmaceutics. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17081028
Vancouver
Karakasis P, Theofilis P, Vlachakis PK, Grigoriou K, Patoulias D, Antoniadis AP, et al. Reprogramming Atherosclerosis: Precision Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine, and Immune-Targeted Therapies for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction. Pharmaceutics. 2025. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics17081028. PMID: 40871049.
BibTeX
@article{karakasis2025-40871049,
author = {Karakasis, Paschalis and Theofilis, Panagiotis and Vlachakis, Panayotis K. and Grigoriou, Konstantinos and Patoulias, Dimitrios and Antoniadis, Antonios P. and Fragakis, Nikolaos},
title = {{Reprogramming Atherosclerosis: Precision Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine, and Immune-Targeted Therapies for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction}},
journal = {Pharmaceutics},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/pharmaceutics17081028},
pmid = {40871049},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17081028}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Ligand-based, biomimetic, and stimuli-responsive delivery systems further enhance spatial and temporal precision.
- In parallel, advances in in-silico modeling and imaging-guided approaches are accelerating the rational design of multifunctional nanotherapeutics with theranostic capabilities.
- Beyond targeting lipids and inflammation, emerging strategies seek to modulate immune checkpoints, restore endothelial homeostasis, and reprogram plaque-resident macrophages.
- This review provides an integrated overview of the mechanistic underpinnings of atherogenesis and highlights state-of-the-art targeted delivery systems under preclinical and clinical investigation.
- By synthesizing recent advances, we aim to elucidate how precision-guided drug delivery is reshaping the therapeutic landscape of atherosclerosis and to chart future directions toward clinical translation and personalized vascular medicine.
Why it matters
This review is about targeted drug delivery and nanomedicine for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk, not about Alzheimer's disease. It provides no information relevant to treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Pharmaceutics) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Pharmaceutics: journal h-index 189 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 26 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 8.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 26 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Nikolaos Fragakis: h-index 34 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | National and Kapodistrian University of Athens: institution h-index 859 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40871049) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17081028
- PubMed: 40871049
- Original source →
- Free full text: Pharmaceutics →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
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