Modulation of Immune Response Using Engineered Nanoparticle Surfaces

Nanoparticles (NPs) coated with a monolayer of ligands can be recognized by different components of the immune system, opening new doors for the modulation ofimmunological responses. By the use of different physical or chemical properties at the NP surface (such as charge, functional groups, and ligand density), NPs can be designed to have distinct cellular uptake, cytokine secretion, and immunogenicity, factors that influence the distribution and clearance of these particles. Understanding these immunological responses is critical for the development of new NP-based carriers for the delivery of therapeutic molecules, and as such several studies have been performed to understand the relationships between immune responses and NP surface functionality. In this review, we will discuss recent reports of these structure-activity relationships, and explore how these motifs can be controlled to elicit therapeutically useful immune responses.