Nanoparticle-Induced Modulation of Inflammatory Pathways in Obesity: From Mechanistic Understanding to Therapeutic Design

Therapeutic Design

Nyiramana Mukamurera P.

Faculty of Medicine Kampala International University Uganda

                                                                                                ABSTRACT
Obesity is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation that originates primarily in expanding white adipose tissue and propagates to liver, skeletal muscle, vascular endothelium and pancreas, driving insulin resistance and cardiometabolic complications. Hypertrophic adipocytes and infiltrating immune cells, especially adipose tissue macrophages, sustain a network of inflammatory pathways centered on NF-κB, JNK and the
NLRP3 inflammasome, with strong crosstalk to autophagy and metabolic signaling. Nanoparticles interact intimately with immune and stromal cells in these tissues, and can either exacerbate or resolve inflammatory stress depending on their composition, size, surface chemistry and cargo. This review summarizes the inflammatory biology of obesity and identifies key signaling nodes that are susceptible to nanoparticle-mediated
modulation. We discuss lessons from nanotoxicology, where unintentionally pro-inflammatory nanomaterials highlight crucial design pitfalls, and then focus on rationally engineered anti-inflammatory nanotherapeutics targeting adipose tissue macrophages, adipocytes and systemic metabolic organs. Emerging platforms include drug- and nutraceutical-loaded nanoparticles that reprogram macrophage polarization, silence inflammasome
signaling and couple inflammation resolution with adipose browning. Finally, we examine translational challenges regarding safety, targeting, regulation and personalization, and propose design principles for future immunometabolic nanotherapies in obesity.

Keywords: Obesity; Chronic inflammation; Nanoparticles; NLRP3 inflammasome; Macrophage polarization

CITE AS: Nyiramana Mukamurera P. (2026). Nanoparticle-Induced Modulation of Inflammatory Pathways in Obesity: From Mechanistic
Understanding to Therapeutic Design. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN MEDICAL SCIENCES.
https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJRMS/2026/7.1.3138