Advanced Nanomaterial Platforms for Targeted Therapy of Myocardial Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) remains a major global health challenge due to its persistently high incidence and mortality rates. Although early thrombolytic or interventional therapy reduces infarct size, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) often occurs when restoring blood flow to ischemic myocardium, paradoxically causing cardiomyocyte death. Unlike conventional cardioprotective agents, bioengineered nanomaterials enable targeted drug delivery to ischemic cardiomyocytes through tunable physicochemical properties. This improves therapeutic efficacy while reducing systemic exposure, providing innovative strategies for MIRI treatment. This review summarizes recent advances in nanomaterial-based MIRI therapies and critically evaluates their clinical translation potential, highlighting both opportunities and challenges.