Author(s):
Nogueira, Eugénia Sofia Costa ; Gomes, Andreia C. ; Preto, Ana ; Cavaco-Paulo, Artur
Date: 2016
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/41371
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/SFRH/SFRH%2FBD%2F81269%2F2011/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/228827/EU;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876/147337/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876-PPCDTI/126270/PT
;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/COMPETE/126270/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876/147364/PT;
Subject(s): Drug delivery; Folate; Nanoparticles; Rheumatoid arthritis; Stealth; Science & Technology
Description
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory rheumatic disease, affecting almost 1% of the world population. Although the cause of RA remains unknown, the complex interaction between immune mediators (cytokines and effector cells) is responsible for the joint damage that begins at the synovial membrane. Activated macrophages are critical in the pathogenesis of RA and have been shown to specifically express a receptor for the vitamin folic acid (FA), folate receptor (FR). This particular receptor allows internalization of FA-coupled cargo. In this review we will address the potential of nanoparticles as an effective drug delivery system for therapies that will directly target activated macrophages. Special attention will be given to stealth degree of the nanoparticles as a strategy to avoid clearance by macrophages of the mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS). This review summarizes the application of FA-target nanoparticles as drug delivery systems for RA and proposes prospective future directions.
Eugénia Nogueira (SFRH/BD/81269/2011) holds a scholarship from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). This study was funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement NMP4-LA-2009-228827 NANOFOL. The authors thank the FCT Strategic Project of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and the Project “BioHealth — Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality”, Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 — O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER. This work was also supported by FCT I.P. through the strategic funding UID/BIA/04050/2013. We thank the Centro Hospitalar do Alto Ave (Guimarães, Portugal) for providing radiographic joint images.
