Nano Medicines for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Promising Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis is a tough disease that affects many joints and needs lifelong care. Scientists have been working on a new way to fight this condition using tiny particles called Esculin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (ENPs). These magic bullets were made using a process called ion gelation and were found to be around 205. 1 nanometers in size. They were tested on Wistar rats to see if they could reduce inflammation and joint damage. Before using ENPs on the rats, researchers gave them a substance called Complete Freund's Adjuvant to trigger a reaction similar to rheumatoid arthritis. Then, they started treating the rats with different doses of ENPs, Esculin (ESC), and a standard drug called methotrexate for 21 days. They found that treatments with ENPs, ESC, and methotrexate significantly reduced swelling and pain in the rats' paws.Interestingly, the highest dose of ENPs (20 mg/kg) showed the best results. It helped restore important body functions and immune organ weight, improved brain chemicals serotonin and noradrenaline, and reduced oxidative stress. The ENPs also balanced out levels of important immune system proteins, like IL-6, COX-2, TNF-alpha, NF-κβ, IL-4, and IL-10. This was clear from looking at the rats' sciatic nerve, liver, and ankle joint tissues under a microscope. In a safety test, researchers found that ENPs were very safe, with no harmful effects even at high doses. This suggests that ENPs could be a promising treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, especially when used at the right dose.