Current Nanoscience - Volume 21, Issue 2, 2025

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease that causes pannus formation, thickened synovium, joint bone reabsorption, and acute impairment, and increases the death rate. Many people with RA now live better lives as a result of recent improvements in treatment, which have dramatically slowed the disease's course. However, a significant portion of patients continue to either be non-responsive to existing treatments or have developed a resistance to them. Nanotechnology is becoming a more and more intriguing tool for investigating novel strategies, ranging from treating various disease states to tackling complicated conditions.

The primary goal of the work was to outline the research activities on versatile nanocarriers, like polymeric micelles, nanoparticles, liposomes, etc., with controlled/sustained drug release patterns fabricated to elevate the effectiveness of drug delivery.

This review mainly focuses on emerging strategies to deliver various nanocarriers encapsulating anti-rheumatic drugs, enzymes, genes, phytoconstituents, etc. It also includes up-to-date progress regarding patents and clinical trials filed for the treatment of RA.

In most of the recent studies, nanocarrier-based drug delivery has gained attention worldwide and led to the development of new approaches for treating RA. A better understanding of pathophysiology and signalling pathways helps to select the antirheumatic drug. The encapsulation of active moiety into the novel nanocarrier enhances the solubility of insoluble drugs. It restricts the exposure of the drug to the non-inflamed site using various targeting strategies, like active, passive, or biomimetic targeting and stimuli-responsive carrier systems to enhance the drug delivery mechanism.

A brief description of current RA treatments using nanocarrier technology is provided in this paper, along with predictions for potential enhancements to the nanotherapeutic regimen.

Infection is the main reason for the failure of the clinical application of guided tissue regeneration (GTR).

The aim of this study is to develop a membrane containing nanoparticles incorporated with the antimicrobial drug metronidazole (MTZ-NPs Membrane) to enhance drug permeation delivery into cells and promote periodontal tissue recovery and regeneration.

We prepared membranes containing nanoparticles incorporated with metronidazole (MTZ-NPs Membrane) and characterized the properties, such as mechanical properties, physicochemical properties, and release. Coumarin-6 was used to prepare a membrane containing nanoparticles incorporated with Coumarin-6 (C6-NPs Membrane) to evaluate the efficiency of the nanoparticles-loaded membranes on transmembrane entry into cells. Moreover, in vivo experiments were conducted to assess the effectiveness of the membrane.

MTZ-NPs membrane had suitable mechanical strength; the drug was released by diffusion. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed the existence of metronidazole might be in the amorphous state in the membrane and had good compatibility with polymers. The in vitro cytotoxicity assays showed that the MTZ-NPs membrane was biocompatible. Cellular uptake of the C6-NPs membrane was significantly higher than that of the C6 membrane (p < 0.0001), signifying that encapsulating the drug in nanoparticles increases drug permeability and improves drug transport efficiency across the cellular membrane. The histological analysis showed that the MTZ-NPs membrane could promote periodontal tissue recovery.

MTZ-NPs membrane can improve drug penetration delivery into the cells and has a good prospect for the treatment of periodontal disease.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) biosynthesized via the deployment of plant extractives have garnered much attention, especially due to their antimicrobial properties. Herein, the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles has been accomplished using the aqueous extract of Haplophyllum robustum, which includes a study of its antibacterial, antifungal, and scolicidal activity.

The preparative process was followed by characterization using UV-Vis spectroscopy, and the ensuing spherical AgNPs of average size 7-25 nm were identified by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The antibacterial, antifungal, and scolicidal activities of AgNPs were assessed by deploying disc diffusion and microdilution methods against four standard bacteria and four typical Candida species and liver hydatid cyst protoscoleces, where they exhibited good biological activity.

The results showed that the greener synthesis of silver nanoparticles using the aqueous extract of renewable and abundant H. robustum plant is a simple, inexpensive, and safer alternative that does not use any toxic or harmful substances.

Thus, with minimal or no side effects, this approach to AgNPs bodes well for their appliances as antibacterial, antifungal, and scolicidal agents.

Microplastics is a new type of global pollutant that can absorb pollutants in the environment and enter the food chain. Arsenic (As) is a kind of heavy metal element, and its pollution to the environment has been triggered concern. Currently, the escalating threat to marine ecology posed by both microplastics and heavy metal pollution is garnering increasing attention, particularly concerning their detrimental impact on human health.

The aim of this paper is to study the adsorption of As by microplastics and their combined toxic effects on clams, which were determined by joint toxicity test.

During the initial 48 hours, the fatality rates for larval clams exposed to As (III)-adsorbed microplastics, including polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) at concentrations ranging from 10 mg/L to 500 mg/L, varied in the range of 0-30.0%, 0-10.0%, 0-30.0%, 0-15.0%, and 0-50.0%, respectively. Similarly, adult clams exhibited fatality rates within the ranges of 0-35.0%, 0-25.0%, 0-30.0%, 0-50.0%, and 0-15.0%. However, these rates increased significantly after 48 hours, reaching 80.0% (PP), 62.0% (PE), 40.0% (PS), 60.0% (PVC), and 70.0% (PMMA) for larval clams, and 85.0% (PP), 72.0% (PE), 40.0% (PS), 72.0% (PVC), and 65.0% (PMMA) for adult clams, respectively. In contrast, when exposed to microplastics concentrations exceeding 1000 mg/L with adsorbed As (III), both larval and adult clams experienced fatality rates that initially peaked between 55.0% and 100.0% within the first 48 hours. Throughout the entire incubation period with As (III) alone, the fatality rates for larval and adult clams remained relatively low, ranging from 0-20.0% and 0-15.0%, respectively.

The mortality rate of clams directly correlated with the input of microplastic particles containing As (III); specifically, an increase in the concentration of microplastics resulted in higher fatality rates and accelerated death rates among the clams. Clams demonstrated varying toxicological responses to the different types of microplastics.