Rheumatoid Arthritis

06.02.2025

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Why in the news?                        

Recently, researchers have developed an innovative “self-actuating” drug delivery system that could revolutionize the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by targeting inflammation directly within the joints so that therapeutic agents are released only when needed.

About Rheumatoid Arthritis:

• It is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, wherein the immune system attacks healthy cells in the body by mistake, and causes inflammation in the affected parts of the body. The specific causes of RA are unknown.
• It mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. RA commonly affects joints in the hands, wrists, and knees.
• Symptoms: In a joint with RA, the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, causing damage to joint tissue. This tissue damage can cause long-lasting or chronic pain, unsteadiness (lack of balance), and deformity (misshapenness).
• It can also affect other tissues throughout the body and cause problems in organs such as the lungs, heart, and eyes.
• Treatment: Its treatment usually includes the use of medications that slow disease and prevent joint deformity, called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Key points of the research:

• Researchers have developed a smart system that responds directly to the biochemical signals in the inflamed synovial environment.
• The system uses specially designed microspheres loaded with methotrexate, a commonly used anti-rheumatic drug.
• The formulation consists of polymer-lipid hybrid micro-composites, where the lipid component (soya lecithin) ensures high drug encapsulation efficiency, and the polymer component (gelatin) provides responsiveness to Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP).

                                                           Source: PIB

Consider the following statements regarding the Rheumatoid Arthritis:

1. It is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease.

2. It damages the joint tissues of humans.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A.1 only

B.2 only

C.Both 1 and 2

D.Neither 1 nor 2

Answer C