International Journal of Nanomedicine (Sep 2022)

Microneedle Patch Delivery of Methotrexate-Loaded Albumin Nanoparticles to Immune Cells Achieves a Potent Antipsoriatic Effect

  • Wang H,
  • Zhao Z,
  • Wu C,
  • Tong X,
  • Shi Y,
  • Chen S

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 17
pp. 3841 – 3851

Abstract

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Huaiji Wang,1,* Zihan Zhao,2,* Chenghao Wu,3,* Xiaowen Tong,3 Yuling Shi,2 Shunjie Chen1 1Department of Nephrology, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200443, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200065, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shunjie Chen, Department of Nephrology, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Transdermal drug delivery provides a desirable alternative method of penetrating the skin for psoriasis treatment, by virtue of its ability to dampen the overactivation of immune cells and inflammation, while attenuating the detrimental effects of systemic administration. Lymph nodes (LNs), as a critical organ of the lymphatic and the acquired immune system, are suitable sites for drug homing to suppress the immune cells.Methods: In this context, we developed a microneedle (MN) patch that delivers nanodrugs locally to LNs for improving the antipsoriatic treatment. In this study, human serum albumin nanoparticles carrying methotrexate (HM) were synthesized and loaded into hyaluronic acid (HA)-based microneedles (HM/MN).Results: The patch showed an excellent ability to pierce the skin, which enhanced drug delivery. In a mouse model of psoriasis, the HM/MN patch significantly prevented the erythema with decreased skin thickness, thus inhibiting the progression of psoriasis. Further analysis for immune cells in LNs, the percent of dendritic cells (DC) and T cells reduced after the local treatment with HM/MN. Notably, the feasibility of targeted delivery of methotrexate to LNs using nanoparticles was verified by detecting increased accumulation of methotrexate in LNs. In addition, the HM/MN patch pronouncedly decreased the levels of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 6 in the skin.Conclusion: The results suggested the high efficacy of using the HM/MN patch to treat psoriasis, and provided new insight into the mechanism of the transdermal drug delivery system.Keywords: microneedles, transdermal drug delivery, psoriasis, lymph node homing, nanodrug

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