Nanoparticle Jabs To Help Treat Arthritis

Injecting nanoparticles into a joint after an injury may suppress inflammation, reduce destruction of cartilage and lower the risk of osteoarthritis. When researchers inject steroids into an arthritis joint, the drug remains for up to a few hours. In the new study, the nanoparticles were injected shortly after an injury, and within 24 hours, the nanoparticles were at work taming inflammation in the joint and remained in cartilage cells for weeks. The nanoparticles used were more than 10 times smaller than a red blood cell, which helped them penetrate into tissues. The particles carried a peptide derived from a protein called melittin that was modified to enable it to bind to a molecule called small interfering RNA. The melittin delivered siRNA to the damaged joint, interfering with inflammation in cells.