Neutrophil membrane-coated nanoparticles for targeted therapy

Traditional drug delivery systems often face problems such as low drug accumulation at the target site, rapid clearance in the body, and potential damage to healthy tissues. Under such circumstances, nanoparticle drug delivery systems have been developed. Although they have certain advantages, they still struggle to achieve efficient and specific targeting and may exhibit cytotoxicity. In contrast, neutrophil membrane-coated nanoparticles (NM-NPs) inherit the natural cell surface proteins and ligands of neutrophils, possessing numerous advantages such as low immunogenicity, immune evasion, and the ability to achieve precise targeting, thus showing great potential. This review is the first article to comprehensively summarize the application of neutrophil membrane-coated nanoparticles in targeted therapy. It mainly focuses on the pathophysiological role of neutrophils, the advantages of neutrophil membrane coating, the selection and preparation of nanoparticle cores, the targeting mechanism of neutrophil membrane-coated nanoparticles, the types of nano-drugs for targeted delivery, their application in disease treatment, and discussions on related safety and toxicology.