Novel injectable carrier based corticosteroid therapy for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

The Effects of Curcumin on Inflammasome: Latest Update

Curcumin, a traditional Chinese medicine extracted from natural plant rhizomes, has become a candidate drug for the treatment of different diseases due to its anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities. Curcumin is generally beneficial to improve human health with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties as well as antitumor and immunoregulatory properties. Inflammasomes are NLR family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) proteins that are activated in response to a variety of stress signals and that promote the proteolytic conversion of pro-interleukin-1β and pro-interleukin-18 into active forms, which are central mediators of the inflammatory response; inflammasomes can also induce pyroptosis, a type of cell death. The NLRP3 protein is involved in a variety of inflammatory pathologies, including neurological and autoimmune disorders, lung diseases, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and many others. Different functional foods may have preventive and therapeutic effects in a wide range of pathologies in which inflammasome proteins are activated. In this review, we have focused on curcumin and evidenced its therapeutic potential in inflammatory diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory diseases, and arthritis by acting on the inflammasome.

Curcumin-Loaded Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Efficiently Attenuate Proliferation and Inflammatory Response in Rheumatoid Arthritis Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes loaded with curcumin (Curc-Exos) as an effective therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis through modulation of proliferation and inflammatory response in HIG-82 synovial cells. For this purpose, Exos were isolated and characterized with BCA protein assay, DLS, FE-SEM, and TEM. The Curc was embedded by mixing it with Exos in a 1:4 ratio. It was found that the Curc stability has improved after loading on Exos compared to the free Curc. Besides, the in vitro studies using LPS-stimulated HIG-82 synovial cells indicated the efficiency of Curc-Exos in enhancing cytotoxicity and apoptosis compared to the free Curc treatment. It was also revealed that Curc-Exos significantly could reduce the expression levels of anti-apoptotic proteins IAP1 and IAP2 and inflammatory mediators including IL-6, TNF-α, MMP1, and PGE2. This preliminary study confirmed the suitability of Curc-Exos in counteracting the proliferation and inflammatory response of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts in vitro.

External use of radon and sulfide mineral waters in the treat-ment of experimental arthrosis

Abstract: The article presents the results of studies of the effect of radon and sulfide min-eral waters (MW) on Wistar rats with experimental arthrosis. materials and methods. Rats were randomized into 4 groups. Group 1 consisted of intact rats (control group). In the remaining three groups, a model of knee arthrosis was reproduced using dexamethasone injections. Group 2 consisted of rats with untreated pathology. Group 3 consisted of rats using radon MW procedures, and group 4 consisted of rats using sulfide MW. Results. Morphological studies have determined that using radon and sulfide MW has a curative effect on the structural and functional organization of the joint and cartilage - the manifes-tations of inflammation in the knee joints are significantly reduced, dystrophic manifesta-tions disappear, and reparative processes in cartilage improve. There are signs of an im-provement in the state of metabolic processes in the body of rats: the balance in the lipid peroxidation and antioxidant systems is restored, and the indicators of the processes of energy supply of transmembrane transport (according to the activity of magnesium-dependent Na+/K+-ATP-ase and Ca2+-ATP-ase) and protein exchange.Conclusion. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that both applied MWs have a unidirectional, but somewhat different in strength, curative effect on the course of experimental arthrosis, which is due to different mechanisms of the biological action of radon and hydrogen sul-fide. Keywords: experimental arthrosis; morphological and metabolic indicators; radon; hydrogen sulfide; mineral water.

Dietary polyphenols for management of rheumatoid arthritis: Pharmacotherapy and novel delivery systems

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, complex, systemic autoimmune disease causing chronic inflammation, swelling, and pain. It affects pulmonary and ocular physiology, gastrointestinal disturbance, skeletal disorders, and renal malfunctioning. Although conventional and biological drugs available to treat RA are potent and effective, they lead to life-threatening side effects and patient discomfort. Hence, alternative therapies are explored for their treatment which is safe, effective, and economical. Herbal drugs are widely used as an alternative therapy and some medicinal plants, especially dietary polyphenols proved their efficacy in treating RA. Polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants possessing several pharmacological actions. They exert anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and anti-rheumatoid activity by modulating tumor necrosis factor, mitogen-activated protein kinase, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, and c-Jun N-terminal kinases. Thus, polyphenols could be a promising option for the management of RA. Unfortunately, polyphenols suffer from poor bioavailability due to their physicochemical properties and incorporation into novel delivery systems such as liposomes, nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, micelles improved their oral bioavailability. This review article summarizes dietary polyphenols, their pharmacological actions and novel delivery systems for the treatment of RA. Nevertheless, the commercial translation of polyphenols could be only possible after establishing their safety profile and successful clinical trials.

Targeted therapy of rheumatoid arthritis via macrophage repolarization

The polarization of macrophages plays a critical role in the physiological and pathological progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Activated M1 macrophages overexpress folate receptors in arthritic joints. Hence, we developed folic acid (FA)-modified liposomes (FA-Lips) to encapsulate triptolide (TP) (FA-Lips/TP) for the targeted therapy of RA. FA-Lips exhibited significantly higher internalization efficiency in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells than liposomes (Lips) in the absence of folate. Next, an adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rat model was established to explore the biodistribution profiles of FA-Lips which showed markedly selective accumulation in inflammatory paws. Moreover, FA-Lips/TP exhibited greatly improved therapeutic efficacy and low toxicity in AIA rats by targeting M1 macrophages and repolarizing macrophages from M1 to M2 subtypes. Overall, a safe FA-modified liposomal delivery system encapsulating TP was shown to achieve inflammation-targeted therapy against RA via macrophage repolarization.

Liposomal Nanosystems in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that affects the joints and results in reduced patient quality of life due to its chronic nature and several comorbidities. RA is also associated with a high socioeconomic burden. Currently, several available therapies minimize symptoms and prevent disease progression. However, more effective treatments are needed due to current therapies' severe side-effects, especially under long-term use. Drug delivery systems have demonstrated their clinical importance-with several nanocarriers present in the market-due to their capacity to improve therapeutic drug index, for instance, by enabling passive or active targeting. The first to achieve market authorization were liposomes that still represent a considerable part of approved delivery systems. In this manuscript, we review the role of liposomes in RA treatment, address preclinical studies and clinical trials, and discuss factors that could hamper a successful clinical translation. We also suggest some alterations that could potentially improve their progression to the market.