Exosome-Inspired Lipid Nanoparticles for Enhanced Tissue Penetration

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex network of biomolecules with varying pore sizes, posing a challenge for the effective penetration of lipid nanoparticles. In contrast, cell-derived lipid nanoparticles, such as exosomes, have demonstrated the ability to travel to distant organs, indicating their capacity to penetrate the ECM. Here, we designed exosome-like vesicles (ELVs) inspired by exosomes' distinct transport phenomena. Specifically, we integrated three exosomal components (anionic lipid, cholesterol, and aquaporin-1) associated with transport into our ELVs to mimic the superior diffusion behavior of exosomes over synthetic lipid nanoparticles. Surprisingly, both bulk- and single-particle-diffusion studies revealed a more than 33 times increase in the effective diffusion coefficient within model ECM compared to conventional lipid nanoparticles. Furthermore, ELVs show an 80% increase in the effective diffusion coefficient within biological tissues. The excellent transport behavior of ELVs was further validated <i>in vivo</i>, where intratumoral injection showcased their superior transport. These findings provide insights into lipid nanoparticle design for improved tissue penetration.