Hyaluronic acid-coated solid lipid nanoparticles enhance antirheumatic activity and reduce toxicity of methotrexate
Nanomedicine. 2022. 17(16): 1099–1114. (Impact Factor: 6.096)
Authors: Yashika Mirchandani1, Vandana B. Patravale2, S. Brijesh1*
Affiliations:
1 Department of Biological Sciences, Sunandan Divatia School of Science, NMIMS (Deemed-to-be) University, 7th Floor, Mithibai College Building, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai, 400056, India
2 Pharmaceutical Science & Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai, 400019, India
*Corresponding author
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease of the joints with no cure and treatment modalities only focus on reducing the symptoms. Methotrexate (MTX) is a primary drug used for its treatment but is associated with severe toxicity. The study aimed to use solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) as carriers for MTX to achieve improved efficacy in RA treatment at reduced doses, thus decreasing the potential toxicity of the drug, making SLNs suitable and safe drug carriers. MTX-loaded SLNs (MTX-SLNs) were formulated and coated with hyaluronic acid (HA; HA-MTX-SLNs) and were evaluated for their efficacy in a complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritic rat model. Both MTX-SLNs and HA-MTX-SLNs demonstrated a significant reduction in toxicity and enhanced the activity of the drug upon oral administration. The HA coating further enriched the anti-rheumatic activity of MTX, owing to its ability to improve the oral bioavailability and targeted drug delivery of the formulation. Thus, HA-MTX-SLNs can be considered efficient therapeutic agents for the treatment of RA.
