A newly synthesized biocompatible therapeutic nano-micelle drug delivery system in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs has shown improved potential for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis at the laboratory level. It can help relieve the pain associated with the disease as well as heal the disease by restoring the integrity of the cartilage that provides elasticity to the bone.
Inflammation plays an important role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). As a result, strategies for treating RA have largely focused on providing symptomatic pain relief, and a permanent cure is not yet available.
Methotrexate (MTX) is considered the gold standard for treating the disease, but due to its severe side effects, researchers are currently looking for alternative drugs or strategies to overcome the disease.
Scientists at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, have explored the potential of the FDA-approved anti-inflammatory drug 9-aminoacridine (9AA) and the natural compound caffeic acid (CA). ), which is usually found in coffee or wine (reported to have significant anti-arthritic potential) conjugated with nano micelles, an amphiphilic molecule that forms a spherical structure when immersed in water, for the treatment of RA.
The research group led by Dr. Rehan Khan, Scientist, along with Senior Researcher Mr. Akshay Vyawahar developed a therapeutic nanomicelle with an anti-inflammatory drug (9AA). After administration, it shows site-specific inhibition of inflammatory mediators due to activation of the NR4A1 gene (nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A member 1), which regulates the inflammatory mechanism by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines with fluorescent 9-aminoacridine (an FDA-approved drug molecule).
The nanomicelle alone has the potential to provide a therapeutic effect, but when combined with an anti-inflammatory drug, it showed increased potential to experimentally treat rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting joint damage and cartilage degradation. The new strategy inhibits joint damage and cartilage degradation and has shown short-term (21 days) disease eradication and long-term (45 days) protection against disease recurrence.
This drug delivery system is simple, cost-effective, safe, and has significant translational potential. A nano-formulation tested so far in rats and published in ACS Nano may in the future bring long-term relief to many RA patients by suppressing the severity of rheumatoid arthritis disease.
