Monovalent antibody-conjugated lipid-polymer nanohybrids for active targeting to desmoglein 3 of keratinocytes to attenuate psoriasiform inflammation

Metagenomics reveals unique gut mycobiome biomarkers in psoriasis

PURPOSE

In present, the diagnosis of psoriasis is mainly based on the patient's typical clinical manifestations, dermoscopy and skin biopsy, and unlike other immune diseases, psoriasis lacks specific indicators in the blood. Therefore, we are required to search novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of psoriasis.

METHODS

In this study, we analyzed the composition and the differences of intestinal fungal communities composition between psoriasis patients and healthy individuals in order to find the intestinal fungal communities associated with the diagnosis of psoriasis. We built a machine learning model and identified potential microbial markers for the diagnosis of psoriasis.

RESULTS

The results of AUROC (area under ROC) showed that Aspergillus puulaauensis (AUROC = 0.779), Kazachstania africana (AUROC = 0.750) and Torulaspora delbrueckii (AUROC = 0.745) had high predictive ability (AUROC > 0.7) for predicting psoriasis, While Fusarium keratoplasticum (AUROC = 0.670) was relatively lower (AUROC < 0.7).

CONCLUSION

The strategy based on the prediction of intestinal fungal communities provides a new idea for the diagnosis of psoriasis and is expected to become an auxiliary diagnostic method for psoriasis.

Targeting anti-inflammatory immunonanocarriers to human and murine neutrophils via the Ly6 antigen for psoriasiform dermatitis alleviation

Psoriasis is a refractory and difficult-to-treat skin disorder. The neutrophil-targeting approach represents a promising option for psoriasis therapy. This study developed and examined NIMP-R14-conjugated immunonanoparticles for specific targeting to neutrophils associated with psoriasiform dermatitis. In the process, roflumilast (RFL), as a phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 inhibitor, was encapsulated in the nanocarriers to assess the anti-inflammatory capability against primary neutrophil activation and murine psoriasiform lesion. The average size and surface charge of the immunonanocarriers were 305 ± 36 nm and -18 ± 6 mV, respectively. The monovalent antibody-conjugated nanoparticles offered precise uptake by both human and mouse neutrophils but failed to exhibit this effect in monocytes and lymphocytes. The intracellular RFL concentration of the immunonanocarriers was five-fold superior to that of the passive counterparts. The immunonanocarriers specifically recognized the neutrophils through the Ly6 antigen with no apparent cytotoxicity. The antibody-conjugated nanoparticles mitigated superoxide anion production and migration of the activated human neutrophils. The in vivo biodistribution in the psoriasiform mice, found using an in vivo imaging system (IVIS) and liquid chromatography (LC)-mass-mass analysis, showed that the antibody conjugation increased the nanoparticle residence in systemic circulation after intravenous administration. On the other hand, most of the nanoparticles were accumulated in the lesional skin after subcutaneous injection. The actively-targeted nanocarriers were better than the free RFL and unfunctionalized nanoparticles in suppressing psoriasiform inflammation. The immunonanocarriers reduced neutrophil recruitment and epidermal hyperplasia in the plaque. Intravenous and subcutaneous treatments with the immunonanocarriers significantly reduced the overexpressed cytokines and chemokines in the inflamed skin, demonstrating that the nanosystems could both systematically and locally alleviate inflammation. The results indicated that the NIMP-R14-conjugated RFL-loaded nanoparticles have potential as an anti-autoimmune disease delivery system for neutrophil targeting.

Targeting and functional effects of biomaterials-based nanoagents for acute pancreatitis treatment

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a severe life-threatening inflammatory disease showing primary characteristics of excessive inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Based on the pathophysiology of AP, several anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress agents have been studied. However, the low accumulated concentrations and scattered biodistributions limit the application of these agents. With the development of nanotechnology, functional nanomaterials can improve the bioavailability of drugs and extend their half-life by reducing immunogenicity to achieve targeted drug delivery. The biomaterial-based carriers can mediate the passive or active delivery of drugs to the target site for improved therapeutic effects, such as anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation for AP treatment. Other biomaterials-based nanomedicine may exhibit different functions with/without targeting effects. In this review, we have summarized the targeting and functional effects of biomaterials-based nanoagents specifically for AP treatment.

Laser-assisted nanoparticle delivery to promote skin absorption and penetration depth of retinoic acid with the aim for treating photoaging

Retinoic acid (RA) is an approved treatment for skin photoaging induced by ultraviolet (UVA). Topically applied RA is mainly located in the stratum corneum (SC) with limited diffusion into the deeper strata. A delivery system capable of facilitating dermal delivery and cellular internalization for RA is critical for a successful photoaging therapy. Two delivery approaches, namely nanoparticles and laser ablation, were combined to improve RA's absorption efficacy and safety. The nanoparticle absorption enhancement by the lasers was compared between full-ablative (Er:YAG) and fractional (CO₂) modalities. We fabricated poly-L-lactic acid (PLA) and PLA/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles by an emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. The mean size of PLA and PLA/PLGA nanocarriers was 237 and 222 nm, respectively. The RA encapsulation percentage in both nanosystems was > 96 %. PLA and PLA/PLGA nanocarriers promoted RA skin deposition by 5- and 3-fold compared to free control. The ablative lasers further enhanced the skin deposition of RA-loaded nanoparticles, with the full-ablative laser showing greater permeation enhancement than the fractional mode. The skin biodistribution assay evaluated by confocal and fluorescence microscopies demonstrated that the laser-assisted nanoparticle delivery achieved a significant dermis and follicular accumulation. The cell-based study indicated a facile uptake of the nanoparticles into the human dermal fibroblasts. The nanoparticulate RA increased type I collagen and elastin production in the UVA-treated fibroblasts. A reduction of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 was also highlighted in the photoaging cells. The calculation of therapeutic index (TI) by multiplying collagen/elastin elevation percentage and skin deposition predicted better anti-photoaging performance in Er:YAG laser-assisted nanoparticle delivery than CO₂ laser. Nanoencapsulation of RA decreased the cytotoxicity against skin fibroblasts. In vivo skin tolerance test on a nude mouse showed less skin damage after topical application of the nanoparticles than free RA. Our results hypothesized that the laser-mediated nanoparticle delivery provided an efficient and safe use for treating photoaging.

Laser-assisted nanocarrier delivery to achieve cutaneous siRNA targeting for attenuating psoriasiform dermatitis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disorder presenting the excessive expression of interleukin (IL)-6. The topical use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) has been increasingly discovered for treating skin diseases. A delivery system capable of protecting siRNA while facilitating both skin targeting and cellular entrance is critical for the successful medication of topically-applied siRNA. Herein, we developed a delivery system for siRNA based on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles and combined this system with an ablative laser to promote skin absorption for topical psoriasis therapy. The siRNA absorption enhancement was compared by two laser modalities: a fractional CO₂ laser and a fully-ablative Er:YAG laser. We characterized the effect of the delivery system by the cellular uptake, IL-6 silencing, in vitro skin absorption, cutaneous biodistribution, and in vivo psoriasiform dermatitis in mice. The nanocarriers showed minimal cytotoxicity and facile cellular uptake to knock down the IL-6 expression. The nanoformulation containing a cationic surfactant (Forestall) for ion pairing with siRNA achieved a 66% and 77% IL-6 knockdown efficiency toward keratinocytes and macrophages, respectively. In the Franz cell absorption, the lasers increased the naked siRNA penetration to the receptor compartment by 3.7-5.0-fold but remarkably reduced skin deposition using imiquimod (IMQ)-treated psoriasiform skin as the barrier. The fractional laser facilitated nanoparticle-associated siRNA skin deposition up to 3.3-fold, whereas the transport of the nanocarriers to the receptor was negligible. Qualitatively, the lasers increased nanoparticle delivery in the epidermis with limited effect to elevate the penetration depth. The fractional-mediated nanocarrier delivery dramatically attenuated the erythema and scaly lesions of psoriasiform dermatitis. The histological examination displayed a reduction of epidermal hyperplasia and macrophage infiltration by the combination of laser and nanosystem. The passive and laser-assisted naked siRNA delivery was less effective in mitigating dermatitis. The topical delivery of fractional laser-assisted nanoparticles on mice resulted in a 56% IL-6 knockdown. Our results manifested the benefit of cutaneous siRNA targeting using ablative lasers to deliver nanocarriers for treating psoriatic inflammation.

Transdermal Delivery of Therapeutic Compounds With Nanotechnological Approaches in Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated skin disorder involving hyperproliferation of the keratinocytes in the epidermis. As complex as its pathophysiology, the optimal treatment for psoriasis remains unsatisfactorily addressed. Though systemic administration of biological agents has made an impressive stride in moderate-to-severe psoriasis, a considerable portion of psoriatic conditions were left unresolved, mainly due to adverse effects from systemic drug administration or insufficient drug delivery across a highly packed stratum corneum via topical therapies. Along with the advances in nanotechnologies, the incorporation of nanomaterials as topical drug carriers opens an obvious prospect for the development of antipsoriatic topicals. Hence, this review aims to distinguish the benefits and weaknesses of individual nanostructures when applied as topical antipsoriatics in preclinical psoriatic models. In view of specific features of each nanostructure, we propose that a proper combination of distinctive nanomaterials according to the physicochemical properties of loaded drugs and clinical features of psoriatic patients is becoming a promising option that potentially drives the translation of nanomaterials from bench to bedside with improved transdermal drug delivery and consequently therapeutic effects.

The Antibiofilm Nanosystems for Improved Infection Inhibition of Microbes in Skin

Biofilm formation is an important virulence factor for the opportunistic microorganisms that elicit skin infections. The recalcitrant feature of biofilms and their antibiotic tolerance impose a great challenge on the use of conventional therapies. Most antibacterial agents have difficulty penetrating the matrix produced by a biofilm. One novel approach to address these concerns is to prevent or inhibit the formation of biofilms using nanoparticles. The advantages of using nanosystems for antibiofilm applications include high drug loading efficiency, sustained or prolonged drug release, increased drug stability, improved bioavailability, close contact with bacteria, and enhanced accumulation or targeting to biomasses. Topically applied nanoparticles can act as a strategy for enhancing antibiotic delivery into the skin. Various types of nanoparticles, including metal oxide nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, and lipid-based nanoparticles, have been employed for topical delivery to treat biofilm infections on the skin. Moreover, nanoparticles can be designed to combine with external stimuli to produce magnetic, photothermal, or photodynamic effects to ablate the biofilm matrix. This study focuses on advanced antibiofilm approaches based on nanomedicine for treating skin infections. We provide in-depth descriptions on how the nanoparticles could effectively eliminate biofilms and any pathogens inside them. We then describe cases of using nanoparticles for antibiofilm treatment of the skin. Most of the studies included in this review were supported by in vivo animal infection models. This article offers an overview of the benefits of nanosystems for treating biofilms grown on the skin.