Osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent
chronic diseases. Cartilage
inflammation in
osteoarthritis results from
pain in articular joints. Anti-inflammatory drugs provide relief by hindering the production of pro-inflammatory
cytokines and
interleukin-6. Targeted delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs is very effective in the treatment of
osteoarthritis. This approach reduces the usage of therapeutic
drug dosages and unwanted side effects. Here, we fabricated a non-invasive and efficient targeted drug delivery system to reduce persistent
inflammation in an
osteoarthritis model. Temperature-sensitive hollow
dextran/
poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) nanoparticles were synthesized by the destruction of N,N'-bis(acryloyl)
cystamine crosslinked cores in imidazolium-based
ionic liquids. The copolymerized 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane
sulfonic acid created
sulfur functionalities that increase the loading of therapeutic KAFAK
peptides. The chemical structure of the
polymer nanoparticles was analyzed with UV-Visible, Fourier transform infrared, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The thermal responsive characteristics of the nanoparticles were determined with dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses. Moreover, the synthesized nanoparticles were used as
drug carriers to reduce
inflammation in an Ex Vivo
osteoarthritis model. The KAFAK-loaded hollow
dextran/
PNIPAM nanoparticles effectively delivered therapeutic
peptides in cartilage explants to suppress
inflammation. These thermoresponsive nanoparticles could be an effective drug delivery system to deliver anti-inflammatory therapeutic
peptides in a highly osteoarthritic environment.