Work

Endogenous nanoalbumin-based ROS cascade-amplification strategy for multi-treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is deemed as chronic autoimmune syndrome, defined by the uncontrolled proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs). The existing clinical treatments, which are largely local anti-inflammatory therapies, have demonstrated restricted efficacy. Accordingly, the concurrent suppression/elimination of diseased tissues alongside anti-inflammatory efforts is increasingly regarded as a potential strategy to RA treatment. Our study designs a novel cascaded reaction nanoenzyme, RuO 2 @BSA-ATO NGs, with the intention of increasing endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) levels to enhance reaction efficiency and induce targeted mitochondrial damage through hydroxyl radical generation. The RuO 2 @BSA-ATO NGs can enter cells easily and catalyze H 2 O 2 decomposition, thereby producing toxic hydroxyl radicals in RA. The loaded atovaquone (ATO) targets mitochondria, inhibits cellular functions and increases H 2 O 2 levels. The photothermal therapy (PTT) capability, resulting from high photothermal conversion efficiencies, leads to the increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) following cell lysis. The RuO 2 @BSA-ATO NGs, developed for use in multi-therapy under near-infrared photoacoustic (PA) imaging, serves a vital function in the ablation of RASFs within the RA microenvironment. To conclude, the multifunctional cascaded reaction nanoenzyme RuO 2 @BSA-ATO NGs represents a promising approach to improve cellular eradication effectiveness under photonic guidance, offering new avenues for diagnosis and treatment of refractory RA.

Source: Materials & Design

DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2025.114389