Macrophage Targeting pH Responsive Polymersomes for Glucocorticoid Therapy

Glucocorticoid (GC) drugs are the cornerstone therapy used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Here, we report pH responsive poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine)−poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PMPC−PDPA) polymersomes as a suitable nanoscopic carrie...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Virgínia M. Gouveia, Loris Rizzello, Claudia Nunes, Alessandro Poma, Lorena Ruiz-Perez, António Oliveira, Salette Reis, Giuseppe Battaglia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-11-01
Series:Pharmaceutics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/11/11/614
Description
Summary:Glucocorticoid (GC) drugs are the cornerstone therapy used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Here, we report pH responsive poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine)−poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PMPC−PDPA) polymersomes as a suitable nanoscopic carrier to precisely and controllably deliver GCs within inflamed target cells. The in vitro cellular studies revealed that polymersomes ensure the stability, selectivity and bioavailability of the loaded drug within macrophages. At molecular level, we tested key inflammation-related markers, such as the nuclear factor-κB, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6. With this, we demonstrated that pH responsive polymersomes are able to enhance the anti-inflammatory effect of loaded GC drug. Overall, we prove the potential of PMPC−PDPA polymersomes to efficiently promote the inflammation shutdown, while reducing the well-known therapeutic limitations in GC-based therapy.
ISSN:1999-4923