Dual-targeting inhibition of TNFR1 for alleviating rheumatoid arthritis by a novel composite nucleic acid nanodrug

Selective suppression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α-TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) signaling is a potent solution for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Herein, novel composite nucleic acid nanodrugs that simultaneously restrain TNF α binding and TNFR1 multimerization were designed to reinforce inhibition of TNF α-TNFR1 signaling for RA therapy. Towards this end, a novel peptide Pep4‐19 that suppresses TNFR1 clustering was extracted from TNFR1. The resulting peptide and a DNA aptamer Apt2‐55, which inhibits TNF α binding, were integrally or separately anchored on DNA tetrahedron (TD) to obtain nanodrugs with different spatial distribution of Apt2‐55 and Pep4‐19 (TD-3A-3P and TD-3(A-P)). Our results showed that Pep4‐19 enhanced the viability of inflammatory L929 cells. Both TD-3A-3P and TD-3(A-P) suppressed caspase 3, reduced cell apoptosis, and inhibited FLS-RA migration. Compared to TD-3(A-P), TD-3A-3P supplied sufficient flexibility for Apt2‐55 and Pep4‐19, and showed better anti-inflammation properties. Furthermore, TD-3A-3P significantly relieved symptoms in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice, and the anti-RA efficacy through intravenous injection was comparable to transdermal administration via microneedles. Overall, the work provides an effective strategy for RA treatment by dual-targeting TNFR1, and demonstrates that microneedles are promising approach to drug administration in the treatment of RA.