Triptolide laden reduced graphene oxide transdermal hydrogel to manage knee arthritis: in vitro and in vivo studies

Advancement in nanotechnology for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: scope and potential applications

Rheumatoid arthritis is a hyperactive immune disorder that results in severe inflammation in synovial joints, cartilage, and bone deterioration, resulting in immobilization of joints. Traditional approaches for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are associated with some limiting factors such as suboptimal patient compliance, inability to control the progression of disorder, and safety concerns. Therefore, innovative drug delivery carriers for efficient therapeutic delivery at inflamed synovial sites with better safety assessment are urgently needed to address these issues. From this perspective, nanotechnology is an outstanding alternative to traditional drug delivery approaches, and it has shown great promise in developing novel carriers to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Considering the current research and future application of nanocarriers, it is believed that nanocarriers can be a crucial element in rheumatoid arthritis treatment. This paper covers all currently available pathophysiological aspects of rheumatoid arthritis and treatment options. Future research for the reduction of synovial inflammation should focus on developing multifunction nanoparticles capable of delivering therapeutic agents with improved safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness to be commercialized.

Trends and frontiers in natural products for arthritis, 2000-2021: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Arthritis has become one of the trouble diseases that upsets people. A growing number of studies have shown that natural products have great potential for the treatment of arthritis. However, few bibliometrics have been systematically studied in this area. This paper analyzes the literature data of natural products on the arthritis research, and the research hot spots and future research directions of the treatment of arthritis by natural products were explored.

METHOD

Through CiteSpace, VOSviewer software and Bibliometricx under the R language environment, the article and review literatures on the treatment of arthritis with natural drugs in the Web of Science core collection database were analyzed by bibliometric analysis.

RESULTS

On December 28, 2021, a total of 2102 records were retrieved, 81.69% publications were issued in 2012 to 2021, mainly in China-dominated Asian countries, with cooperation among countries. The analysis of the number of articles published by institutions shows that the number of articles published by China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences is up to 82. Lu, Aiping and Smolen, JS are the authors with the highest citation frequency and co-citation frequency. Keywords analysis showed that the research of natural drugs mainly focused on gene expression, anti-inflammatory and other mechanisms and signaling pathways. With the progress of science and technology and the integration of multi-disciplines, the research on natural drugs for arthritis will be more in-depth and specific.

CONCLUSION

In this study, literature metrology analysis was conducted on natural products in the treatment of arthritis, in order to grasp the background, trends and frontiers of the research, and predict possible research hotspots in the future. It is expected to provide some reference value and direction for future scholars in this field.

Delivery of triptolide: a combination of traditional Chinese medicine and nanomedicine

As a natural product with various biological activities, triptolide (TP) has been reported in anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-autoimmune studies. However, the narrow therapeutic window, poor water solubility, and fast metabolism limit its wide clinical application. To reduce its adverse effects and enhance its efficacy, research and design of targeted drug delivery systems (TDDS) based on nanomaterials is one of the most viable strategies at present. This review summarizes the reports and studies of TDDS combined with TP in recent years, including passive and active targeting of drug delivery systems, and specific delivery system strategies such as polymeric micelles, solid lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, and stimulus-responsive polymer nanoparticles. The reviewed literature presented herein indicates that TDDS is a multifunctional and efficient method for the delivery of TP. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of TDDS are sorted out, aiming to provide reference for the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and advanced nano drug delivery systems (NDDS) in the future.