Rationale: Early response after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is crucial to prevent extensive cardiac necrosis. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a key antiinflammatory cytokine, whose expression is closely associated with macrophage polarization towards inflammation resolution. Results: We synthesized NIL10, a micelle-based nanoparticle conjugated to IT9302, a peptide homologue to IL-10 functional domain, with the aim of targeting IL-10 receptor in mice and pigs subjected to AMI. Intravenous administration of 1 mg/kg NIL10 improved the cardiac function of mice and pigs subjected to AMI, as shown by a significant recovery of the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) by days 3 and 7 after AMI, when compared to the levels found in animals injected with NIL10SC, a nanoparticle conjugated with the peptide in a scrambled orientation, in which inflammatory foci and fibrosis were strongly elevated. In IL-10 null mice subjected to AMI, NIL10 also improved heart contractility, while in IL10 receptor deficient animals, NIL10 had no effect. To test whether NIL10 may induce macrophage polarization, M2 macrophage populations were increased after day 3 of reperfusion, in which anti-inflammatory cytokines, including IL4, IL7, IL10, IL13, IL16 and IL27 were also elevated in mice and pigs injected with NIL10. Mechanistically, NIL10 induced activation of the IL-10 receptor/STAT-3 signaling pathway, and STAT3-dependent inhibition of pro-inflammatory NF-kB transcription factor nuclear translocation, as evidenced by inhibition of nuclear p65 in macrophages stimulated with 500 mM LPS in response to incubation with NIL10, and prevented by co-incubation with the STAT-3 pharmacological inhibitor STATTIC, as also evidenced by testing the NF-kB -dependent readout iNOS gene expression with same results. Conclusions: Our findings propose NIL10 nanoparticles as a novel compound to improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction, to preventing cardiac necrosis by inducing polarization toward M2-resolving macrophages, through inhibition of STAT3-induced nuclear translocation of NF-kB.