Acute lung injury (ALI), a critical complication of COVID-19, is characterized by widespread inflammation and severe pulmonary damage, necessitating intensive care for those affected. Although glucocorticoids (GCs), such as dexamethasone (Dex), have been employed clinically to lower mortality, their nonspecific systemic distribution has led to significant side effects, limiting their use in ALI treatment. In this study, we explored the conjugation of Dex to hyaluronic acid (HA) to achieve targeted delivery to inflamed lung tissues. We achieved a conjugation efficiency exceeding 98 % using a cosolvent system, with subsequent ester bond cleavage releasing the active Dex, as verified by liquid chromatography. Biodistribution and cellular uptake studies indicated the potential of the HA conjugate for cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44)-mediated targeting and accumulation. In a lipopolysaccharide-induced ALI mouse model, intravenous (IV) HA-Dex administration showed superior anti-inflammatory effects compared to free Dex administration. Flow cytometry analysis suggested that the HA conjugate preferentially accumulated in lung macrophages, suggesting the possibility of reducing clinical Dex dosages through this targeted delivery approach.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.136149 | DOI Listing |
Interdiscip Cardiovasc Thorac Surg
January 2025
Critical Care Department, Finis Terrae University. Santiago, Chile.
Silicosis, a fibrotic lung disease caused by crystalline silica inhalation, presents unique challenges in lung transplantation. This case reports an unprecedented complication in a lung transplant recipient with chronic silicosis. A man in his 60 s, post left single-lung transplantation for silica-induced pneumoconiosis, developed acute respiratory deterioration following routine bronchoscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Virol
January 2025
University of Central Florida, College of Medicine, Orlando, Florida, USA.
Unlabelled: Persistent viral infections can be an important medical problem, with persistently infected (PI) cells extending viral shedding, maintaining inflammation, and providing potential sources for new viral variants. Given that PI cells can acquire resistance to some innate immune pathways, we tested the hypothesis that complement (C')-mediated lysis of parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5)-infected cells would differ between acute-infected and PI cells. Biochemical and real-time cell viability assays showed effective C'-mediated lysis of A549 lung cells acutely infected with PIV5, through pathways that depended on C3 and C5, but largely independent of C6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells
December 2024
First Department of Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Evangelismos Hospital, 10676 Athens, Greece.
Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are central regulators of gene expression in response to oxygen deprivation, a common feature in critical illnesses. The significant burden that critical illnesses place on global healthcare systems highlights the need for a deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms and the development of innovative treatment strategies. Among critical illnesses, impaired lung function is frequently linked to hypoxic conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ R Coll Physicians Edinb
January 2025
Department of Rheumatology, Centre for Rheumatology, Calicut, Kerala, India.
Low-dose methotrexate (LD-MTX) is the anchor drug used in the treatment of various rheumatological illnesses. There are a lot of misconceptions associated with the long-term use of MTX in the minds of practitioners. The origin of most of these myths stems from the ill effects associated with high-dose MTX used in cancer chemotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Case Rep Intern Med
November 2024
Department of Lung Diseases and Thoracic Surgery, Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital, Riga, Latvia.
Background: Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) is a rare subtype of idiopathic inflammatory myositis often linked with the presence of autoantibodies targeting melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5). Patients with CADM are at increased risk of developing rapidly progressing interstitial lung disease, which significantly increases both morbidity and mortality compared to other forms of inflammatory myopathies. While there is no standardized treatment regimen, current therapeutic strategies are generally focused on combination immunosuppressive therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!