Nitric oxide (NO), a radical gas molecule produced by nitric oxide synthase, prevents high blood pressure and artery plaque build-up in the human body. However, when NO is overproduced by physiological disorders, severe inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis can occur. A team of scientists at the Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea, has developed a NO-scavenging nano-sized hydrogel for treating rheumatoid arthritis.
NO-Scv gel-mediated anti-inflammation therapy. Image credit: Pohang University of Science and Technology.
“Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when NO is overproduced in the body,” said Professor Won Jong Kim and colleagues.
“We consistently studied on a new way to treat this inflammatory disease by scavenging NO and reducing its concentration in the disease site of body.”
“As a result, we successfully developed a NO-responsive macro-sized hydrogel by integrating NO-cleavable crosslinker (NOCCL) in 2017.”
“And this time, we took one step further and upgraded it to the current model, NO-scavenging nano-sized hydrogel (NO-Scv gel) which consumes NO through reacting with NO.”
NO-Scv gel reduces inflammation levels by scavenging NO and shows excellent biocompatibility. Image credit: Yeo et al, doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b00496.
NO-Scv gel is prepared by polymerization between acrylamide and NOCCL.
It is different from the former drug, which suppresses NO by interaction between gene and enzyme, in that it is directly involved in scavenging NO and minimizes side effects.
Also, it has more advantage that it can be applied not only to rheumatoid arthritis but also to other NO-mediated inflammatory disease widely.
The experiments in mice proved that NO-Scv gel is better than dexamethasone, a commercial drug, in suppressing the onset of rheumatoid arthritis effectively.
“The drugs that have been used for suppressing NO affect biomolecules in the body directly and this brings various side effects such as insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease,” Professor Kim said.
“But, this nano-sized hydrogel has demonstrated many meaningful results that it is more effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis by scavenging NO directly and has decreased the possibility of the side effects caused by the current drugs that we use today.”
The team’s paper is published in the journal Nano Letters.
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Jiwon Yeo et al. Nitric Oxide-Scavenging Nanogel for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis. Nano Lett, published online May 13, 2019; doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b00496
