Gold Nanocarriers for Macrophage‐Targeted Therapy of Human Immunodeficiency Virus

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to be a global pandemic and there is an urgent need for innovative treatment. Immune cells represent a major target of virus infection, but are also therapeutic targets. Currently, no antiretroviral therapy targets macrophages, which function as portal of entry and as major long‐term deposit of HIV. It has been shown before that human macrophages efficiently internalize gold nanoparticles, a fact which might be used to target them with drug‐nanoparticle conjugates. Here, the authors use gold nanocarriers to facilitate delivery of stavudine, a widely used antiretroviral drug, to primary human macrophages. Using an ease‐of‐use coupling method, a striking potentiation of stavudine intake by macrophages using gold nanocarriers is shown. Further, the carriers induce a specific subtype of proinflammatory activation indicative for antiviral activity of macrophages, which suggests promising novel treatment options for HIV.