Guar gum nanoparticles ameliorate inflammatory damage in a preclinical mouse model of collagen II induced arthritis

Abstract

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a bone disorder causing inflammation of synovial lining followed by production of proinflammatory cytokines at the same site. The synovial hyperplasia is also mediated by the infiltration of lymphocytes, macrophages and other inflammatory cells. The available drugs for RA shows temporary recovery and some are associated with side effects. Here we have used surface functionalized guar gum nanoparticles (GN) to ameliorate disease pathology using collagen II (CII) induced arthritis model in C57BL/6 mice.

Methods: The systemic as well as the bone damage was assessed by the total count, differential count, clonogenic potential, flow cytometry and histological studies. The migration of inflammatory cells was assessed by flow cytometry of cells from the bone marrow, blood, spleen and the synovial tissue. The joint inflammation was assessed both by visible presentation in terms of thickness and corroborated with the H&E staining of the knee joint sections.

Results: Synovitis was observed in the diseased group while GN controlled the synovial inflammation. Post sacrifice, the total number of cells and the immune cells were increased significantly in the diseased group and decreased on GN treatment. The clonogenic potential of cells was also restored on GN administration. The elevated level of NO was also decreased by GN administration. The expression of proinflammatory cytokines and the signaling molecules were also restored on GN treatment.

Conclusion: The results provide insights to understand the therapeutic effect of GN in CII induced arthritis for translational outcomes. Through this study we investigated the signaling mechanism involved in the pathology of disease to examine the role of GN in preventing the disease progression.