Engineered CCR2 Cell Membrane-Wrapped Cepharanthine Liposomes for Potential Targeted Attenuation of Acute Lung Injury

Severe respiratory inflammation or viral infections can lead to acute lung injury (ALI), a disease characterized by diffuse inflammatory injury of the pulmonary epithelium and endothelium. Cepharanthine (CEP) is reported as a promising drug candidate due to its antiviral properties. However, CEP exhibits poor solubility and low bioavailability. Therefore, we developed a novel liposome, named CEP@LP-MCCR2, which integrates the advantages of cell membranes and lipid materials, to achieve effective accumulation of CEP in inflamed lungs. It exhibits a 1.73-fold increase in lung accumulation at 24 h in vivo, a 4.56-fold increase in cellular uptake in MLE-12 cells. CEP@LP-MCCR2 is equipped with a CCR2-overexpressed surface, enabling it to selectively neutralize elevated levels of CCL2, which is related to ALI, thereby reducing macrophage infiltration, thereby reducing the spread of inflammation, such as a reduction in levels of key pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6). CEP@LP-MCCR2 could suppress M1 macrophage polarization, which led to a marked decrease in iNOS and an increase in Arg1. It upregulated the expression of junctional proteins E-cadherin and Occludin, indicating potential recovery of the pulmonary epithelial barrier. RNA sequencing analysis implied the potential of CEP@LP-MCCR2 to inactivate the TNF/NF-κB signaling axis.