Encapsulation of S-nitrosoglutathione: a transcriptomic validation

S-nitrosogluthatione (GSNO), a S-nitrosothiol, is a commonly used as nitric oxide (NO^•) donor. However, its half-life is too short for a direct therapeutic use. To protect and ensure a sustained release of NO^•, the encapsulation of GSNO into nanoparticles may be an interesting option.

In this work, we have investigated the early (4 h) and late (24 h) transcriptomic response of THP-1 human monocytes cells to two doses (1.4 and 6 µM) of either free or Eudragit^® nano-encapsulated GSNO using RNA microarray.

After exposure to free GSNO, genes mainly involved in apoptosis, cell differentiation, immune response and metabolic processes were differentially expressed. Although, cells exposed to free or encapsulated GSNO behave differently, activation of genes involved in blood coagulation, immune response and cell cycle was observed in both conditions.

These results suggest that the encapsulation of low doses of GSNO into Eudragit^® nanoparticles leads to a progressive release of GSNO making this compound a possible oral therapy for several biomedical applications like inflammatory bowel diseases.