Lipid Nanoparticles Optimized for Targeting and Release of Nucleic Acid

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are currently the most promising clinical nucleic acids drug delivery vehicles. LNPs prevent the degradation of cargo nucleic acids during blood circulation. Upon entry into the cell, specific components of the lipid nanoparticles can promote the endosomal escape of nucleic acids. These are the basic properties of lipid nanoparticles as nucleic acid carriers. As LNPs exhibit hepatic aggregation characteristics, enhancing targeting out of the liver is a crucial way to improve LNPs administrated in vivo. Meanwhile, endosomal escape of nucleic acids loaded in LNPs is often considered inadequate, and therefore, much effort is devoted to enhancing the intracellular release efficiency of nucleic acids. Here, different strategies to efficiently deliver nucleic acid delivery from LNPs are concluded and their mechanisms are investigated. In addition, based on the information on LNPs that are in clinical trials or have completed clinical trials, the issues that are necessary to be approached in the clinical translation of LNPs are discussed, which it is hoped will shed light on the development of LNP nucleic acid drugs.

The triglyceride-glucose index is associated with atherosclerosis in patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease, regardless of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidaemia

BACKGROUND

Diabetes and hyperlipidaemia are both risk factors for coronary artery disease, and both are associated with a high triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index). The TyG index has been presented as a marker of insulin resistance (IR). Its utility in predicting and detecting cardiovascular disease has been reported. However, few studies have found it to be a helpful marker of atherosclerosis in patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that the TyG index can serve as a valuable marker for predicting coronary and carotid atherosclerosis in symptomatic CAD patients, regardless of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidaemia.

METHODS

This study included 1516 patients with symptomatic CAD who underwent both coronary artery angiography and carotid Doppler ultrasound in the Department of Cardiology at Tianjin Union Medical Center from January 2016 to December 2022. The TyG index was determined using the Ln formula. The population was further grouped and analysed according to the presence or absence of diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. The Gensini score and carotid intima-media thickness were calculated or measured, and the patients were divided into four groups according to TyG index quartile to examine the relationship between the TyG index and coronary or carotid artery lesions in symptomatic CAD patients.

RESULTS

In symptomatic CAD patients, the TyG index showed a significant positive correlation with both coronary lesions and carotid plaques. After adjusting for sex, age, smoking, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, and the use of antilipemic and antidiabetic agents, the risk of developing coronary lesions and carotid plaques increased across the baseline TyG index. Compared with the lowest quartile of the TyG index, the highest quartile (quartile 4) was associated with a greater incidence of coronary heart disease [OR = 2.55 (95% CI 1.61, 4.03)] and carotid atherosclerotic plaque [OR = 2.31 (95% CI 1.27, 4.20)] (P < 0.05). Furthermore, when compared to the fasting blood glucose (FBG) or triglyceride (TG) level, the TyG index had a greater area under the ROC curve for predicting coronary lesions and carotid plaques. The subgroup analysis demonstrated the TyG index to be an equally effective predictor of coronary and carotid artery disease, regardless of diabetes and hyperlipidaemia.

CONCLUSION

The TyG index is a useful marker for predicting coronary and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with symptomatic CAD, regardless of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidaemia. The TyG index is of higher value for the identification of both coronary and carotid atherosclerotic plaques than the FBG or TG level alone.