Hyaluronic Acid-Conjugated pH-Sensitive Liposomes for Targeted Delivery of Prednisolone on Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy

AIM: The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis remains a challenge as available therapies still entail the risk of deleterious off-target effects. The present study describes hyaluronic acid-conjugated pH-sensitive liposomes as an effective drug delivery-targeting strategy to synovial cells. MATERIALS & METHODS: Therapeutic, cytotoxic and targeting potential of developed liposomes were studied in vitro using macrophages and fibroblasts cell lines. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Results suggest an enhanced cellular uptake of conjugated liposomes, mainly mediated by caveolae- and clathrin-dependent endocytosis. In vitro release studies demonstrated that prednisolone was preferentially released under acidic conditions mimicking intracellular endosomal compartments. Overall, results revealed that conjugated pH-sensitive liposomes are a promising nanoapproach for the targeted delivery of prednisolone within inflamed synovial cells for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.