Patel, Mayur. Development of a sustained bupivacaine and dexamethasone nanoparticle co-therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-xqrx-3921
DescriptionOsteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic condition of the joints, characterized by pain, swelling, and deterioration of cartilage. OA does not have a cure, and currently, all treatments target symptoms such as pain or inflammation but at the doses given, result in adverse side effects which can promote cartilage degeneration. Our research works to develop a controlled dual-modal drug delivery therapy that can manage pain directly and address the underlying cause with anti-inflammatory treatments to prevent cartilage degeneration caused by high doses. Bupivacaine (BUP), a local anesthetic, can manage pain directly and dexamethasone (DEX), a glucocorticoid, offers anti-inflammatory properties and potential chondroprotective attributes. A key obstacle of BUP and DEX is that at high concentrations, both drugs prevent the formation of new cartilage; but, at low concentrations, they can provide pain relief and anti-inflammatory properties for only a short duration. To resolve this issue, we are using nanoparticles made of Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), a biodegradable polymer, to prolong the release of BUP and DEX for at least 30 days. Using the nanoparticles diffusion profiles, loading capacity, and optimal dose for our target cell types we tested our dual-modal nanoparticle therapy on chondrocytes, macrophages, and in a co-culture. We found that the nanoparticle co-therapy retained cell viability in all conditions and reduced inflammation more than either DEX nanoparticle (DexNP) or BUP nanoparticle (BupNP) therapy alone.