Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Intra-Articular Administration of Dexamethasone Liposomal Form on a Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Rats

Joint diseases are frequently treated using intra-articular injection forms of drugs based on glucocorticosteroids, many of which have disadvantages that hinder increasing their effectiveness. Liposomal forms of glucocorticosteroids are of particular interest for intra-articular administration in the treatment of arthritis. Liposomes with an average vesicle size of 86 ± 5 nm and a dexamethasone concentration of 2.2 ± 0.007 mg/mL were obtained in the present study. The therapeutic efficacy of the obtained liposomes with dexamethasone was studied in comparison with intra-articular administration of dexamethasone solution at the same dose in a rat rheumatoid arthritis model. The criteria for drug effectiveness were macro- and microscopic signs of arthritis in the ankle joints. The liposomal form turned out to be much more effective in comparison to the solution at equal doses as a medicine for reducing the main pathoanatomical signs of the inflammatory process in joints.