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- Talk
- 07/09/2020
- UK
Sustained Delivery of Glutamate Receptor Antagonists to Prevent Osteoarthritis
Description
In this presentation, Ben Egan discusses his PhD research focused on the sustained delivery of glutamate receptor antagonists as a potential treatment for post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). He begins by outlining the prevalence of osteoarthritis following traumatic injuries and the role of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 in joint degradation. Egan suggests that glutamate, which is elevated in osteoarthritis patients, plays a significant role in joint pathology and indicates that glutamate receptor antagonists could be a viable therapeutic option.
He explains his experimental approaches, which include developing PLGA nanoparticles and thermoresponsive hydrogels to achieve sustained release of glutamate receptor antagonists like NBQX. The nanoparticles demonstrated sustained release over three to five weeks, although with low concentrations, while the hydrogels had a controlled release mechanism that can be tuned based on temperature changes.
Egan presents data from in vivo studies suggesting that the administration of NBQX can improve joint pathology following ACL ruptures by modulating inflammatory responses and bone turnover markers. However, he also notes that the use of nanoparticles did result in an unexpected inflammatory response in the model. The talk concludes with a summary of the dual delivery systems developed and their implications for managing osteoarthritis and modulating inflammation in bone.