Cassani Marco, Fernandes Soraia, Pagliari Stefania, Cavalieri Francesca, Caruso Frank, Forte Giancarlo
International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, 60200, Czech Republic.
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Jan;12(2):e2409898. doi: 10.1002/advs.202409898. Epub 2024 Dec 4.
The extracellular matrix (ECM)-and its mechanobiology-regulates key cellular functions that drive tumor growth and development. Accordingly, mechanotherapy is emerging as an effective approach to treat fibrotic diseases such as cancer. Through restoring the ECM to healthy-like conditions, this treatment aims to improve tissue perfusion, facilitating the delivery of chemotherapies. In particular, the manipulation of ECM is gaining interest as a valuable strategy for developing innovative treatments based on nanoparticles (NPs). However, further progress is required; for instance, it is known that the presence of a dense ECM, which hampers the penetration of NPs, primarily impacts the efficacy of nanomedicines. Furthermore, most 2D in vitro studies fail to recapitulate the physiological deposition of matrix components. To address these issues, a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between the ECM and NPs is needed. This review focuses on the main features of the ECM and its complex interplay with NPs. Recent advances in mechanotherapy are discussed and insights are offered into how its combination with nanomedicine can help improve nanomaterials design and advance their clinical translation.
细胞外基质（ECM）及其力学生物学调节着驱动肿瘤生长和发展的关键细胞功能。因此，机械疗法正成为治疗癌症等纤维化疾病的有效方法。通过将ECM恢复到类似健康的状态，这种治疗旨在改善组织灌注，促进化疗药物的递送。特别是，作为一种基于纳米颗粒（NPs）开发创新疗法的有价值策略，对ECM的操控正受到关注。然而，还需要进一步取得进展；例如，众所周知，致密的ECM的存在会阻碍NPs的渗透，这主要影响纳米药物的疗效。此外，大多数二维体外研究未能重现基质成分的生理沉积。为了解决这些问题，需要全面了解ECM与NPs之间的相互作用。本综述重点关注ECM的主要特征及其与NPs的复杂相互作用。讨论了机械疗法的最新进展，并就其与纳米医学的结合如何有助于改进纳米材料设计并推动其临床转化提供了见解。
