Long-Term In Situ Treatment of Arthritis with Injectable Biocompatible Organogel Activation.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease causing joint damage and mobility loss.
• Quercetin, a natural compound, shows potential for RA treatment but suffers from poor bioavailability and safety concerns.
• Existing treatments for RA often have limitations in efficacy and side effect profiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel injectable hydrogel system for targeted delivery of activated quercetin to RA joints.
• To enhance the therapeutic efficacy and safety of quercetin through a low-temperature atmospheric plasma (LTAP) activation method.
• To evaluate the in vivo efficacy of the developed hydrogel in mitigating RA-associated joint destruction and inflammation.

Main Methods:

• Activation of quercetin into protocatechuic acid using low-temperature atmospheric plasma (LTAP).
• Formulation of an injectable hydrogel by dynamically coupling activated quercetin with poloxamer and sodium alginate.
• In vivo assessment of the hydrogel's efficacy in a rheumatoid arthritis model, evaluating bone destruction, pannus formation, and inflammatory markers.

Main Results:

• The LTAP-activated quercetin hydrogel demonstrated improved safety, absorption, and metabolism compared to quercetin alone.
• Local injection of the hydrogel effectively reduced bone destruction and inhibited pannus formation in vivo.
• The hydrogel significantly suppressed key inflammatory factors, including IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α.

Conclusions:

• The developed injectable hydrogel system offers a promising targeted drug delivery approach for rheumatoid arthritis.
• LTAP activation enhances quercetin's therapeutic potential for RA, overcoming limitations of the native compound.
• This novel hydrogel formulation effectively protects joints by reducing inflammation and structural damage in RA.