Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the leading cause of vision loss in many blinding diseases, but current antiangiogenic therapies with invasively intravitreal injection suffer from poor patient compliance and a rate of devastating ocular complications. Here, we develop an alternative antiangiogenic agent based on hybrid cell-membrane-cloaked nanoparticles for noninvasively targeted treatment of CNV. The retinal endotheliocyte membrane coating provides as-fabricated nanoagents with homotypic targeting capability and binding ability to the vascular endothelial growth factor. The fusion of red blood cell membranes protects the hybrid membrane-coated nanoparticles from phagocytosis by macrophages. In a laser-induced wet age-related macular degeneration mouse model, a significantly enhanced accumulation is observed in CNV regions after intravenous delivery of the hybrid membrane-coated nanoparticles. Moreover, an excellent therapeutic efficacy is achieved in reducing the leakage and area of CNV. Overall, the biomimetic antiangiogenic nanoagents provide an effective approach for noninvasive treatment of CNV.
Keywords: antiangiogenic; cell-membrane-cloaked nanoparticles; choroidal neovascularization; intravenous injection; targeted therapy.