Targeted delivery: Russian scientists have created a microgel for the treatment of kidney diseases
Russian biologists have developed a system for targeted delivery of drugs to the kidneys for the treatment of chronic diseases. The medication will be placed inside oil-filled microbeads. The shell of such particles consists of a biologically neutral material obtained from whey. Experiments on laboratory animals have shown that after introduction into the body, the emulsion quickly accumulates in the kidneys. This will allow targeted use of medications and reduce the risk of side effects.
Russian scientists from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Saratov State University and National Research Mordovian State University named after N.P. Ogarev developed a microgel for targeted delivery of drugs to the kidneys. This method allows you to act directly on the diseased organ, reducing the risk of side effects of therapy. This was reported to RT by the press service of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF). The research was carried out with grant support from the foundation. The results were published in the journal Optical Materials.
Scientists around the world have long been working on creating systems for transporting medicine directly to the site of the disease. The authors of a new study have found a solution to this problem in the treatment of kidney disease. They have created innovative microparticles into which a drug can be injected or chemically “stitched” to their surface.
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The developers mixed whey (milk) protein with flaxseed oil. As a result, the mixture separated into emulsion microparticles. Each of them consists of an oil phase and a protein shell. Both components are safe for mammals. The scientists also added a non-toxic fluorescent dye to them. This was necessary to monitor the accumulation and movement of the microgel in the tissues of experimental animals after its administration.
As the authors of the work explained, due to its physicochemical properties, when introduced into the body, such an emulsion is transported directly to the kidneys.
Before starting experiments on animals, scientists tested the toxicity of the resulting emulsion gel on cell cultures. The experiments were carried out on human embryonic kidney cells, stem cells, immune cells and connective tissue cells (all of these types of cells are present in the kidneys). It turned out that the gel does not harm cells even in high concentrations.
At the next stage, scientists tested the microgel on laboratory mice. The rodents were divided into three groups: the first two were injected with microgel in two different ways – through veins and through arteries. The third group was the control group and did not receive the drug.
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It turned out that, regardless of the method of administration, the drug enters the kidneys with the blood within five minutes and accumulates there. And after about a day, the microgel is broken down by enzymes and removed from the body.
“The proposed delivery system accumulates in the kidneys, which will prevent drugs from reaching other organs. At the same time, it is non-toxic due to the fact that it consists of natural and safe components for living cells. In addition, our experiments showed that microgels can be administered intravenously – the fastest, most accurate and most convenient way for the patient. In the future, we plan to test drug-loaded microgels for the treatment of various kidney diseases of an infectious, immunological and oncological nature,” Olga Sindeeva, a senior researcher at the Vladimir Zelman Center for Neurobiology and Neurorehabilitation at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, explained to RT.
