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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1390589
This article is part of the Research Topic The inflammatory response in cutaneous wound healing process View all 6 articles

Alpha-Pinene-encapsulated lipid nanoparticles diminished inflammatory responses in THP-1 cells and imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like skin injury and splenomegaly in mice

Provisionally accepted
Wei Zhang Wei Zhang 1,2*Tao-Yu Li Tao-Yu Li 1,2Wan-Li Liang Wan-Li Liang 3Yi-Ming Zhao Yi-Ming Zhao 4Wan-Dong Chen Wan-Dong Chen 2Hong-Xia Zhu Hong-Xia Zhu 2Yuanyuan Duan Yuanyuan Duan 5Han-Bo Zou Han-Bo Zou 2Sha-Sha Huang Sha-Sha Huang 2Xiao-Jun Li Xiao-Jun Li 6
  • 1 Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 2 Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
  • 3 Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau SAR, China
  • 4 Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 5 Key Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis & Infection Prevention and Control (Jinan University), Guangzhou, China
  • 6 South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Psoriasis, a persistent skin condition caused by the disorder of the immune system, impacts approximately 1.25 million individuals globally. Nevertheless, the presence of adverse effects in conventional clinical drugs necessitates further exploration of novel medications or combination therapies to mitigate these reactions and enhance their effectiveness. Hence, our intention here in this paper is to utilize the lipid nanoparticle delivery system for overcoming the volatility and hydrophobic properties of α-pinene, a naturally occurring compound renowned for its antiinflammatory and antiviral effects, and further explore its potential pharmacological applications both in vitro and in vivo. The production of α-pinene lipid nanoparticles (APLNs) was achieved through the utilization of high pressure homogenization methods. APLNs was successfully fabricated with enhanced stability and water solubility. Meanwhile, the application of APLNs could drastically reduce the expression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation-related factors in THP-1 cells. Administration of APLNs to a mouse model of auricular swelling could effectively reduce redness and swelling in the auricles of mice as well. Furthermore, APLNs were also found to alleviate skin damage in mice with Imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis model, as well as decrease the levels of psoriasis-related protein nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin-23 (IL-23), and other inflammation-related cytokines. More importantly, utilization of APLNs successfully mitigated the systemic inflammatory reactions in mice, resulting in the reduction of spleen-to-body ratio (wt%) and of inflammatory cytokines' expression in the serum. Overall, our results suggest that with the help of lipid nanoparticle encapsulation, APLNs possess a better pharmacological effect in anti-inflammation and could potentially serve as an anti-psoriasis drug.

    Keywords: Nanoliposomes, α-pinene, Psoriasis, Cytokines, NF-κB signaling

    Received: 23 Feb 2024; Accepted: 10 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Li, Liang, Zhao, Chen, Zhu, Duan, Zou, Huang and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Wei Zhang, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510170, Guangdong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.