Scalable diclofenac lauryl ester prodrug nanoparticles: a promising strategy for reducing inflammation associated with intervertebral disc degeneration.

Saadat Hussain, Aqsa Arif, Perveen Bano, Rudaba Saleem, Shafiqa Naeem Rajput, Liangliang Zhang, Irfan Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman

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Article in Drug delivery and translational research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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8 authors.

Saadat HussainL. E. J. Nanotechnology Center, H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.

Aqsa ArifL. E. J. Nanotechnology Center, H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.

Perveen BanoL. E. J. Nanotechnology Center, H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.

Rudaba SaleemL. E. J. Nanotechnology Center, H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.

Shafiqa Naeem RajputDr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.

Liangliang ZhangState Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, China.

Irfan KhanDr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan. irfankhan.bangash@aku.edu.

Mujeeb-Ur-RehmanL. E. J. Nanotechnology Center, H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan. mbtk.chem@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

As the most frequent clinical problem, intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) and associated inflammatory pain are still a big challenge, thus there is a need for improved and more lasting therapeutic approaches. In this study, a lipidic prodrug of diclofenac, Diclofenac Lauryl Ester (L-DCF), was synthesized and formulated into nanoparticles (Nanofenac-L) using the ethanol injection method followed by microfluidization. The encapsulation efficiency of Nanofenac-L was > 97% with sustained drug release, releasing around 65% of the diclofenac in 48 h. The therapeutic potential of Nanofenac-L was evaluated in rat intervertebral disc-derived nucleus pulposus cells. Nanofenac-L was found to be more effective than free Diclofenac Sodium (DCF-Na) in terms of anti-inflammatory activity, which was confirmed with significant suppression of COX-2 and Substance P. Furthermore, Nanofenac-L increased the expression of antioxidant genes in cells, such as SOD1, GPX1 and PRDX1. Preventive treatment was found to have shown therapeutic value whereas the curative treatment yielded a significant therapeutic effect indicating the possibility of Nanofenac-L to alleviate inflammation as well as to slow down disease progression. Altogether, these results suggest that Nanofenac-L could represent a promising long-lasting anti-inflammatory, pain relieving and antioxidant nanotherapeutic. Comprehensive preclinical and clinical evaluation is essential to translate these findings into viable therapies.

Indexed as

DiclofenacInflammationIntervertebral disc degenerationNanoparticlesPain

Identifiers

PMID42315786

DOI10.1097/JS9.0000000000004980

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.