To improve the quality of life for people living with
chronic inflammatory
skin diseases, we propose a new treatment strategy by exploring a
stimuli-responsive drug delivery system. Formulations designed by
exploiting smart materials can be programmed to perform a specific
action upon exposure to disease-related stimuli. For instance, increased
levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially the accumulation
of hydrogen peroxide, can be utilized to differentiate between healthy
and inflamed tissues. In this concept-proofing study, the polymer
poly(1,4 phenyleneacetone dimethylene thioketal) (PPADT) was investigated
for its ROS-responsive properties and potential to treat inflammatory
skin diseases. PPADT nanoparticles were formulated by oil-in-water
emulsification followed by solvent evaporation and characterized by
size, zeta-potential, and release kinetic profiles. Release profiles
revealed that the PPADT nanoparticles were sensitive toward elevated
levels of ROS in an ROS-stimulus concentration (0.1–10 mM)
and time-dependent manner (flare-up mimicked). The safety assessment
proved that the PPADT polymer and the monomers generated by oxidation
do not show any sign of being cytotoxic to fibroblasts and no mutagenic
liabilities were observed. In conclusion, the PPADT polymer demonstrated
to be a promising material for stimuli-responsive delivery of hydrophobic
small molecules in the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.