RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Treatment of experimental arthritis with poly(d, l-lactic/glycolic acid) nanoparticles encapsulating betamethasone sodium phosphate JF Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases JO Ann Rheum Dis FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism SP 1132 OP 1136 DO 10.1136/ard.2004.030759 VO 64 IS 8 A1 Higaki, M A1 Ishihara, T A1 Izumo, N A1 Takatsu, M A1 Mizushima, Y YR 2005 UL http://ard.bmj.com/content/64/8/1132.abstract AB Objective: To examine the therapeutic activity of hydrophilic glucocorticoid encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles, which have shown slow release and are targeted to inflamed joints after intravenous administration, in experimental arthritis models.Methods: Betamethasone sodium phosphate (BSP) encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles with a size of 100–200 nm (PLGA-nanosteroid) was prepared using a modified oil in water emulsion solvent diffusion method with Zn ions and coated with lecithin. Rats with adjuvant arthritis (AA rats) and mice with anti-type II collagen antibody induced arthritis (AbIA mice) were treated intravenously with PLGA-nanosteroid after the initial sign of arthritis.Results: In AA rats, a 30% decrease in paw inflammation was obtained in 1 day and maintained for 1 week with a single injection of 100 μg of PLGA-nanosteroid. Soft x ray examination 7 days after this treatment showed decreased soft tissue swelling. Moreover, the PLGA-nanosteroid was also highly effective in AbIA mice. A single injection of 30 μg of the PLGA-nanosteroid resulted in almost complete remission of the inflammatory response after 1 week. In contrast, the same dose of free BSP after three administrations only moderately reduced the severity of inflammation. In addition, a histological examination 7 days after the treatment showed a significant decrease of the inflammatory cells in the joints.Conclusion: The observed strong therapeutic benefit obtained with PLGA-nanosteroid may be due to the targeting of the inflamed joint and its prolonged release in situ. Targeted drug delivery using a sustained release PLGA-nanosteroid is a successful intervention in experimental arthritis.