Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Potential of Stearic Acid Nanoparticles of Quercetin in Rats

This study aims to assess the anti-inflammatory potential of stearic acid nanoparticles of quercetin in an arthritic rat model. This article describes the fabrication of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) using the hot melt encapsulation method, followed by the anti-inflammatory study of SLNs and other characterizations such as FTIR, XRD, and SEM. Thirty male healthy albino rats were taken and treated with FCA to induce rheumatoid arthritis. Quercetin loading of quercetin to stearic acid was confirmed by FTIR. The efficacy of quercetin-loaded SLNs to reduce inflammation was evaluated with the help of inflammatory biomarker levels. Quercetin-loaded stearic acid nanoparticles were successfully prepared by using a hot melt encapsulation method. Their average size and zeta potential were 100 nm and -25 mV, respectively. Rheumatoid arthritis was significantly (p < 0.001) reduced in the quercetin-loaded SLN group, as indicated by finding out the reduced levels of inflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and rheumatoid factor. Quercetin-loaded stearic acid nanoparticles were found to be potentially effective in treating RA.