Development of pH-Sensitive Nanoparticle Incorporated into Dissolving Microarray Patch for Selective Delivery of...

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Pharmacology
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease impacting joints.
• Methotrexate (MTX) is a primary RA treatment but faces limitations with oral or injectable administration.
• Targeted drug delivery systems are needed to overcome MTX limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To formulate and evaluate a smart nanoparticle (SNP) combined with a dissolving microarray patch (DMAP) for targeted transdermal delivery of MTX.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional MTX administration routes.
• To achieve selective delivery of MTX to RA-affected sites.

Main Methods:

• SNP formulation using polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polycaprolactone (PCL).
• DMAP formulation using hyaluronic acid and polyvinylpyrrolidone K-30.
• Evaluation of SNP-DMAP-MTX via mechanical/chemical characterization, ex vivo permeation, in vivo pharmacokinetics, hemolysis, and HET-CAM tests.

Main Results:

• SNP-DMAP-MTX met transdermal delivery requirements with optimal particle size and high absorption efficiency.
• Hemolysis and HET-CAM tests confirmed the formula's non-toxic and non-irritating nature.
• Pharmacokinetic studies revealed selective and sustained release of MTX, outperforming oral and DMAP-MTX formulations.

Conclusions:

• The developed SNP-DMAP-MTX system effectively delivers MTX transdermally and selectively to RA sites.
• This novel approach has the potential to mitigate conventional MTX side effects.
• The SNP-DMAP-MTX system offers enhanced efficacy for rheumatoid arthritis therapy.