Urgent Need for Novel Treatments: Given the increasing aging population and rising prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases from obesity and injury, current treatment options for conditions such as arthritis and osteoarthritis are inadequate. This calls for urgent research into new treatment alternatives.
Virus-Exacerbated Arthritis: Viruses like chikungunya virus (CHIKV) can exacerbate arthritis and worsen symptoms in patients with pre-existing osteoarthritis. Over the past decade, CHIKV has become a significant public health issue, particularly in Asia and South America.
Potential of Natural Products: Natural products, such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), show promise due to their anticatabolic, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the clinical efficacy of TCM compounds is limited by its low stability and bioavailability.
Encapsulation Strategy: To overcome these limitations, we hypothesized that encapsulating TCM in a proniosome gel could enhance its bioavailability and efficacy when applied topically. Proniosome gels are known for their ease of preparation and stability.
Comprehensive Investigation: Our research focused on the effects of varying selected TCM loads and specific excipients in the proniosome gel on its physical properties, stability, and skin permeability. We also evaluated the biological half-life of selected TCM compounds in plasma after topical administration in mice, aiming for controlled and sustained drug release.

The findings of this study provide several mechanistic insights into the behavior of the proniosome gel. The slow permeation of selected TCM products and its accumulation in the subdermal layer indicate a controlled release mechanism. This is particularly beneficial for conditions like viral arthritis CHIKV pathogenesis, where sustained drug release can enhance therapeutic outcomes. CHIKV infected pre-clinical model was assessed as in vivo study using mice, the pharmacokinetic profile of the topical proniosome gel was conducted. This suggested that the subdermal layer could act as a reservoir, enabling a controlled and sustained release of proniosome gel. However, further studies are necessary to understand the mechanism of action of proniosome gel in plasma and elucidate its metabolic pathway. This research thus lays the groundwork for future studies aimed at optimizing the dose efficacy and exploring the full therapeutic potential of the proniosome gel.

Ayca Altay Benetti

CEO and Startup founder (PronioBioTech) / Research Fellow (NUS)

PronioBioTech

Programme 2024