Molecular patterns associated with pathogens: Heroes or villains in nanomedicine?

Abstract

In nanomedicine, the fate of nanoparticles inside a body is strongly influenced by the host response. For many biomedical applications, recognition of nanoparticles by the immune system is a major problem: white cells detect foreign agents (including nanoparticles) and may destroy them in just a few seconds. In contrast, a growing number of therapeutic interventions are based on the activation of the immune system, whose despair is at the basis of many diseases, such as infections and cancer. Through nanotechnology it is possible to impact on immune activation. In this article, microbial molecules known as pathogen–associated–molecular–patterns will be introduced in two distinct contexts, on one side as undesirable factors during the production of pharmaceuticals, on another, as novel opportunities for the development of highly efficient nanovaccines.