Remodeling the blood-air barrier and enhancing the pulmonary microcirculation with a dual-responsive biomimetic nanosystem for precise therapy in acute lung injury.

Abstract

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe and potentially fatal illness characterized by an imbalance in pulmonary inflammation and redox homeostasis, alveolar epithelium damage, and blood-air barrier disruption. Herein, acid and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) dual-responsive L-Arginine (L-Arg)-doped ZIF-8 (ZIF-8_Arg) nanoparticles (NPs) wrapped with M2 macrophage membrane exhibiting high CC motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR-2) expression were developed for controlled delivery of gastrodin (Gas). In the LPS-induced ALI mouse model, the NPs were promptly localized and retained in lung tissue by preferentially attaching to damaged alveolar epithelial cells with elevated CC motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL-2) expression. After being endocytosed by the damaged cells, the ZIF-8_Arg NPs are rapidly attacked by a slightly acidic environment, while the guanidine of l-Arg in the structure is oxidized by NOS, resulting in the responsive release of Zn²⁺ and nitric oxide (NO), followed by the collapse of the skeleton and the precise release of the payload. NO disrupted macrophage aggregation and neutrophil adhesion by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, thereby blocking the inflammatory process and directly activating the NO-sGC-PKG pathway, which improved pulmonary microcirculation. Gas activated the AMPK-Nrf-2-HO-1 pathway, restoring intracellular energy metabolism balance and redox homeostasis. Furthermore, Zn²⁺ directly aids in restoring the integrity of tight junctions, lowering the risk of pulmonary edema. The nanoformulation significantly reduced the apoptosis of lung cells from 63.6 % to 2.9 %, effectively reversed the pathophysiological morphological alterations of lung tissue, and repaired the blood-air barrier, thereby counteracting the progression of acute pulmonary edema and reestablished lung function. This straightforward and effective synergistic drug delivery nanosystem offers a promising therapeutic option for ALI. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening disease, which is characterized by an acute inflammatory process and oxidative stress in the pulmonary parenchyma, alveolar epithelium damage, and blood-air barrier disruption. We developed a dual-responsive Gas/ZIF-8_Arg@M2 nanoformulation for the treatment of ALI, which promptly localizes and retains within lung tissue by preferentially binding to damaged alveolar epithelial cells that exhibit elevated expression of CC motif ligand 2. After being endocytosed by damaged cells, the nanoformulation significantly reduced cell apoptosis from 63.6 % to 2.9 %, effectively reversed the pathophysiological morphological alterations and repaired the blood-air barrier, thereby counteracting the progression of acute pulmonary edema and restoring lung function. This straightforward and effective synergistic drug delivery nanosystem offers a promising therapeutic option for ALI.