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Nanoparticles effective in treating autoimmune diseases developed
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
American scientists have developed nanoparticles that are effective in treating autoimmune diseases, EurekAlet reports! The results of the study by Dr. Andrew Mellor and colleagues from the Medical College of Georgia were published in The Journal of Immunology.
The scientists developed nanoparticles based on a complex of DNA and the cationic polymer polyethyleneimine. They planned to use these DNA nanoparticles to directly deliver genes to specific cells. In their study, Mellor and colleagues found that the nanoparticles, which did not contain genes or drugs, also helped treat rheumatoid arthritis in mice.
It turned out that the "empty" nanoparticles caused a significant increase in the levels of alpha, beta and gamma interferon in the blood, which, in turn, led to increased production of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) by cells, an enzyme associated with immune system tolerance. A study conducted by Mellor and his colleague David Mann in 1998 showed that this protein is produced in pregnant women and prevents the mother's body from rejecting the fetus.
Increased IDO levels suppressed immune system activity in mice with rheumatoid arthritis, which resulted in smaller tumors around the joints. To confirm that it was the increased IDO levels that alleviated the rodents’ condition, the scientists bred mice without the IDO1 gene. The cells in the bodies of these mice could not produce the corresponding enzyme, so their condition did not improve after the introduction of nanoparticles.
Mellor believes that such nanoparticles could also be used to treat other autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and diabetes.
Now scientists, in collaboration with chemists, are developing a biodegradable polymer that can be used to produce DNA nanoparticles. Such a polymer will be naturally eliminated from the body.
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