Research Advances in Nucleic Acid Delivery System for Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects the lives of nearly 1% of the total population worldwide. With the understanding of RA, more and more therapeutic drugs have been developed. However, lots of them possess severe side effects, and gene therapy may be a potential method for RA treatment. A nanoparticle delivery system is vital for gene therapy, as it can keep the nucleic acids stable and enhance the efficiency of transfection in vivo. With the development of materials science, pharmaceutics and pathology, more novel nanomaterials and intelligent strategies are applied to better and safer gene therapy for RA. In this review, we first summarized the existing nanomaterials and active targeting ligands used for RA gene therapy. Then, we introduced various gene delivery systems for RA treatment, which may enlighten the relevant research in the future.

Automated summary

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects approximately 1% of the global population. Gene therapy may hold potential as a treatment option for RA, as many existing therapeutic drugs have severe side effects. The use of nanoparticle delivery systems can improve the stability of nucleic acids and enhance transfection efficiency in vivo, thereby making gene therapy for RA safer and more effective. This review provides an overview of current nanomaterials and targeting ligands used in RA gene therapy, as well as various gene delivery systems that may inform future research.