Engineering Neutrophil-Targeted Antibiotic Nanoparticles to Prevent Lung Injury in Sepsis

Introduction: Neutrophils are first responder cells in acute inflammation and infection. We have demonstrated techniques for engineering nanoparticle structure to create neutrophil-targeting nanoparticles [1]. Here, we engineer neutrophil-targeting nanoparticles to deliver antibiotics to sites of acute bacterial infection. We demonstrate synthesis of stable nanoparticles comprising a lysozyme core, alginate shell, and aminoglycoside antibiotic cargo (Figure 1a), delivery of the nanoparticles to neutrophils in vitro and in vivo, and use our nanomedicine to prevent acute lung injury in bacterial sepsis.