International Journal of Nanomedicine (Sep 2023)

Role and Therapeutic Targeting Strategies of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Inflammation

  • Li X,
  • Xiao S,
  • Filipczak N,
  • Yalamarty SSK,
  • Shang H,
  • Zhang J,
  • Zheng Q

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 18
pp. 5265 – 5287

Abstract

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Xiang Li,1,* Shanghua Xiao,2,* Nina Filipczak,3 Satya Siva Kishan Yalamarty,3 Hongming Shang,4 Jing Zhang,2 Qin Zheng2 1National Pharmaceutical Engineering Center for Solid Preparation in Chinese Herbal Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of TCM, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; 4Department of Biochemistry & Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jing Zhang; Qin Zheng, Key Laboratory of Modern Preparation of TCM, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330004, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are large DNA reticular structures secreted by neutrophils and decorated with histones and antimicrobial proteins. As a key mechanism for neutrophils to resist microbial invasion, NETs play an important role in the killing of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and viruses). Although NETs are mostly known for mediating microbial killing, increasing evidence suggests that excessive NETs induced by stimulation of physical and chemical components, microorganisms, and pathological factors can exacerbate inflammation and organ damage. This review summarizes the induction and role of NETs in inflammation and focuses on the strategies of inhibiting NETosis and the mechanisms involved in pathogen evasion of NETs. Furthermore, herbal medicine inhibitors and nanodelivery strategies improve the efficiency of inhibition of excessive levels of NETs.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: neutrophil extracellular traps, inflammation, targeted inhibition, nanotherapy, herbal medicine

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