Ma Yuxuan, Lu Zhangwei, Jia Bin, Shi Ye, Dong Jun, Jiang Shuoxing, Li Zhe
Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, P. R. China.
State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, P. R. China.
ACS Nano. 2022 Aug 23;16(8):12520-12531. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.2c03991. Epub 2022 Aug 2.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) severely threatens human health by causing inflammation, swelling, and pain in the joints and resulting in persistent synovitis and irreversible joint disability. In the development of RA, pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages, which express high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO), induce synovial inflammation and bone erosion. Eliminating ROS and NO in the inflamed joints is a potential RA therapeutic approach, which can drive the transition of pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Taking advantage of the intrinsic ROS- and NO-scavenging capability of DNA molecules, herein, we report the development of folic acid-modified triangular DNA origami nanostructures (FA-tDONs) for targeted RA treatment. FA-tDONs could efficiently scavenge ROS and NO and actively target M1 macrophages, facilitating the M1-to-M2 transition and the recovery of associated cytokines and biomarkers to the normal level. The therapeutic efficacy of FA-tDONs was examined in the RA mouse model. As validated by appearance, histological, and serum examinations, FA-tDONs treatment effectively alleviated synovial infiltration and cartilage damage, attenuating disease progression. This study demonstrated the usage of DNA origami for RA treatment and suggested its potential in other antioxidant therapies.
类风湿性关节炎(RA)通过引起关节炎症、肿胀和疼痛,导致持续性滑膜炎和不可逆转的关节残疾,严重威胁人类健康。在RA的发展过程中,表达高水平活性氧(ROS)和一氧化氮(NO)的促炎性M1巨噬细胞会引发滑膜炎症和骨质侵蚀。消除炎症关节中的ROS和NO是一种潜在的RA治疗方法,它可以促使促炎性M1巨噬细胞向抗炎性M2表型转变。利用DNA分子固有的ROS和NO清除能力,在此我们报告了用于靶向RA治疗的叶酸修饰三角形DNA折纸纳米结构(FA-tDONs)的开发。FA-tDONs可以有效清除ROS和NO,并主动靶向M1巨噬细胞,促进M1向M2转变以及相关细胞因子和生物标志物恢复到正常水平。在RA小鼠模型中检测了FA-tDONs的治疗效果。经外观、组织学和血清检查验证,FA-tDONs治疗有效减轻了滑膜浸润和软骨损伤,减缓了疾病进展。这项研究证明了DNA折纸在RA治疗中的应用,并表明了其在其他抗氧化治疗中的潜力。