2020 Vol. 6, No. 5

Cover Story

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term inflammatory disease derived from an autoimmune disorder of the synovial membrane. Current therapeutic strategies for RA mainly aim to hamper the macrophages’ proliferation and reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, the accumulation of therapeutic agents targeted at the inflammatory site should be a crucial therapeutic strategy. Nowadays, the nanocarrier system incorporated with stimuli-responsive property is being intensively studied, showing the potentially tremendous value of specific therapy. Stimuliresponsive (i.e., pH, temperature, light, redox, and enzyme) polymeric nanomaterials, as an important component of nanoparticulate carriers, have been intensively developed for various diseases treatment. A survey of the literature suggests that the use of targeted nanocarriers to deliver therapeutic agents (nanotherapeutics) in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis remains largely unexplored. The lack of suitable stimuli-sensitive polymeric nanomaterials is one of the limitations. Herein, the authors provide an overview of drug delivery systems prepared from commonly used stimuli-sensitive polymeric nanomaterials and some inorganic agents that have potential in the treatment of RA.

Direct structural evidence supporting a revolving mechanism in DNA packaging motors
Recent endeavors on molecular imaging for mapping metals in biology
Biofriendly micro/nanomotors operating on biocatalysis: from natural to biological environments
Stimuli-responsive polymeric nanomaterials for rheumatoid arthritis therapy
An efficient autometallography approach to localize lead at ultra-structural levels of cultured cells