Engineering Morphological Anisotropy to Control the In Vivo Transport Dynamics, Clearance, and Biodistribution of Silica Nanocarriers
5 affiliations
- 1Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs School of Medicine and Pharmacy Chinese Ministry of Education Ocean University of China Qingdao People's Republic of China
- 2Laboratory For Marine Drugs and Bioproducts Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center Qingdao People's Republic of China
- 3School of Pharmaceutical Science Shandong University Jinan People's Republic of China
- 4Department of Materials Science and Engineering School of Molecular Science and Engineering Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC) Rayong Thailand
- 5Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research Mainz Germany
Abstract
Shape governs function across scales in nature, from streamlined bacteria to biconcave red blood cells that navigate capillary flow. Inspired by these bio‐geometries, we explore how nanoscale anisotropy can be engineered to control the dynamic transport and biodistribution of synthetic nanocarriers in the body. We fabricate anisotropic silica nanocapsules with precisely tunable asymmetry to dissect shape effects on nano‐bio interactions under physiological flow. Under shear flow in vitro, increasing anisotropy markedly reduced cellular uptake, whereas this effect was much less pronounced under static conditions, revealing strong flow–shape coupling. In vivo, highly anisotropic nanocapsules exhibit prolonged circulation, with a 2.8‐fold longer half‐life than spherical counterparts and significantly reduced sequestration by the liver, spleen, and circulating blood cells. Mechanistic analyses attributed these effects to decreased phagocytic internalization by Kupffer cells, splenic macrophages, and circulating monocytes. Computational fluid dynamics simulations corroborated this phenomenon, demonstrating that greater anisotropy shifts particle trajectories away from vessel walls toward the central flow stream, lowering the chances of cellular interception. Together, these results establish nanoscale anisotropy as a critical determinant of nanoparticle transport, immune recognition, and clearance under flow. Anisotropy engineering therefore provides a nature‐inspired framework for designing long‐circulating, immune‐evasive nanocarriers with improved therapeutic performance.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026engineering,
title = {{Engineering Morphological Anisotropy to Control the In Vivo Transport Dynamics, Clearance, and Biodistribution of Silica Nanocarriers}},
author = {Xiaofei Li and Yingjie Yu and Tianchang He and Xiaoyan Fang and Wenhua Yang and Luying Zhou and Hao Fan and Guimei Lin and Daniel Crespy and Katharina Landfester and Junfeng Zhang and Shuai Jiang},
journal = {Advanced Science},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1002/advs.77000},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.77000},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Engineering Morphological Anisotropy to Control the In Vivo Transport Dynamics, Clearance, and Biodistribution of Silica Nanocarriers
AU - Xiaofei Li
AU - Yingjie Yu
AU - Tianchang He
AU - Xiaoyan Fang
AU - Wenhua Yang
AU - Luying Zhou
AU - Hao Fan
AU - Guimei Lin
AU - Daniel Crespy
AU - Katharina Landfester
AU - Junfeng Zhang
AU - Shuai Jiang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/05
JO - Advanced Science
DO - 10.1002/advs.77000
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.77000
AB - Shape governs function across scales in nature, from streamlined bacteria to biconcave red blood cells that navigate capillary flow. Inspired by these bio‐geometries, we explore how nanoscale anisotropy can be engineered to control the dynamic transport and biodistribution of synthetic nanocarriers in the body. We fabricate anisotropic silica nanocapsules with precisely tunable asymmetry to dissect shape effects on nano‐bio interactions under physiological flow. Under shear flow in vitro, increasing anisotropy markedly reduced cellular uptake, whereas this effect was much less pronounced under static conditions, revealing strong flow–shape coupling. In vivo, highly anisotropic nanocapsules exhibit prolonged circulation, with a 2.8‐fold longer half‐life than spherical counterparts and significantly reduced sequestration by the liver, spleen, and circulating blood cells. Mechanistic analyses attributed these effects to decreased phagocytic internalization by Kupffer cells, splenic macrophages, and circulating monocytes. Computational fluid dynamics simulations corroborated this phenomenon, demonstrating that greater anisotropy shifts particle trajectories away from vessel walls toward the central flow stream, lowering the chances of cellular interception. Together, these results establish nanoscale anisotropy as a critical determinant of nanoparticle transport, immune recognition, and clearance under flow. Anisotropy engineering therefore provides a nature‐inspired framework for designing long‐circulating, immune‐evasive nanocarriers with improved therapeutic performance.
SN - 2198-3844
ER -