Atherosclerotic plaques exhibit high deposition of cholesterol and macrophages. These are not only the main components of the plaques but also key inflammation-triggering sources. However, no existing therapeutics can achieve effective removal of both components within the plaques. Here, we report cargo-switching nanoparticles (CSNP) that are physicochemically designed to bind to cholesterol and release anti-inflammatory drug in the plaque microenvironment. CSNP have a core-shell structure with a core composed of an inclusion complex of methyl-β cyclodextrin (cyclodextrin) and simvastatin (statin), and a shell of phospholipids. Upon interaction with cholesterol, which has higher affinity to cyclodextrin than statin, CSNP release statin