Engineering micelles for the treatment and diagnosis of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The consequences of atherosclerotic disease include chronic diseases, such as coronary artery disease and angina pectoris, and acute diseases like heart attacks and stroke. In the diagnosis and treatment of atherosclerosis, various nanotechnologies have been applied to enhance visualization of atherosclerotic lesions, improve target efficacy and extend circulation time. Among these nanotechnologies, micelles have been used widely because of their high encapsulation efficiency of drugs, convenient fabrication, prolonged retention time and good biocompatibility. Reviews devoted to introducing the application of micelles into the management of atherosclerosis have not been released to date. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the recent advances of micelles in the diagnosis and management of atherosclerosis and propose some suggestions and perspectives.