Enzyme targeted delivery of sivelestat loaded nanomicelle inhibits arthritic severity in experimental arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is chronic inflammatory disorder mainly affects the lining of articular cartilage of synovial joints characterized by severe inflammation and joint damage. The expression of proteolytic enzymes like MMP-2 and Neutrophil Elastase (NE) worsens the RA condition. To address this concern, we have synthesized dual enzyme targeted chlorotoxin conjugated nanomicelles loaded with sivelestat as broad spectrum treatment for RA.

Conjugation of the chlorotoxin over nanomicelle and incorporation of sivelestat in nanomicelle provide it dual targeting potential. The sivelestat loaded nanomicelle (SLM) evaluated for the drug release and in-vitro cytocompatibility. Further, investigated its in-vivo anti-arthritic potential on collagen-induced arthritis in wistar rats.

The microscopic observation of SLM showed spherical ball like appearance with size ranging from 190 to 230 nm. SLM showed good drug loading and encapsulation efficiency along with no cytotoxicity against healthy cell lines. In-vivo therapeutic assessment on collagen induced arthritis rat model showed potential chondroprotection. The microscopic visualization of articular cartilage by staining showed that it restores the cartilage integrity and lowers the expression of pro-inflammatory enzymes showed by Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescence. We observed that, it restrain the mediators of synovial inflammation by simultaneous inhibition of the proteolytic enzymes involved in swelling, cartilage destruction and joint damage which provides strong chondroprotection.

We report that significant alleviation of inflammation and inhibition of proteolytic enzymes together might provide enhanced potential for the treatment and management of RA.