Micromotors may be effective treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis

Hydrogen therapy is an emerging and highly promising strategy for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases. Researchers have found in a new study that Micromotors may be effective treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder marked by joint pain, swelling and damage. Although medications, such as steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressants, can help slow joint destruction and relieve pain, they have side effects and aren't completely successful. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Nano Letters have developed magnesium-based micromotors propelled by hydrogen bubbles, which improved rheumatoid arthritis symptoms when injected into the joints of rats.

Scientists have linked rheumatoid arthritis development to the excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS can oxidize and degrade cartilage and bone, as well as activate the expression of inflammatory cytokines. A new type of therapy, hydrogen gas, can neutralize ROS and decrease inflammatory cytokine levels when given to patients in drinking water.

However, the gas is poorly soluble in body fluids and quickly eliminated when given orally, limiting its therapeutic effects. Fei Peng, Yingfeng Tu, Yingjia Li and colleagues wanted to find a way to produce and deliver hydrogen gas directly inside an inflamed joint.