Biomimetic Nanoparticles Loaded with Ulinastatin for the Targeted Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis

Abstract

Ulinastatin is commonly used in the clinic to treat acute pancreatitis (AP), but its therapeutic effect was limited by the presence of the blood–pancreas barrier (BPB) and low specificity. Here, we prepared a macrophage biomimetic nanoparticle (MU) that delivered ulinastatin to address the above issues. Macrophage membrane was used as a shell for a mixture of PEG–PLGA and ulinastatin. It was found that MU showed good stability and biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo . According to in vivo fluorescence imaging, MU displayed a great inflammation targeting effect both in a subcutaneous inflammation model and in situ pancreatitis mouse model, which was ascribed to the presence of adhesion proteins. In vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that MU have a superior AP treatment effect by inhibiting pro-inflammatory factors and keeping cells viability. It was suggested the MU could provide a new strategy for targeted AP treatment.