Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic Acid-anchored Curcumin-based Nanotherapeutics Inhibit Pyroptosis-induced Cytokine Release Syndrome for In Vivo and In Vitro Sepsis Applications

AIM: We aimed to design RGD-anchored liposomes encapsulating an antipyroptosis drug that could efficiently target macrophages and relieve the rate of cytokine release syndrome, providing a new strategy for sepsis treatment, especially sepsis-induced acute renal injury. BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a clinical syndrome of life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by host response disorders due to infection. Sepsis has a high incidence and remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. OBJECTIVE: Macrophage-mediated pyroptosis plays an important role in the occurrence and development of cytokine release syndrome and organ injury caused by sepsis. Curcumin can inhibit inflammasome assembly and slow the progression of pyroptosis by scavenging intracellular reactive oxygen species, but it has poor water solubility and low bioavailability. The emergence of drug-delivery nanosystems has overcome this problem, but there is still a lack of research on how to accurately deliver antipyroptotic drugs to innate immune cells and subsequently hinder pyroptosis. METHODS: We constructed a curcumin-loaded RGD-modified liposome (RGD-lipo/Cur) and demonstrated that RGD-lipo/Cur could effectively target macrophages. RESULTS: In vitro, RGD-lipo/Cur reduced the upregulation of caspase-1, caspase-3, NLRP3, IL-1β and GSDMD, inhibiting pyroptosis, reducing oxidative stress, and attenuating the proinflammatory cytokine cascade. CONCLUSION: RGD-lipo/Cur was considered to have great potential for sepsis treatment.