Transcutaneous amorphous preparation co-delivering curcumin and modified aptamer as a synergistic approach for the amelioration of psoriasis-like skin inflammation.

The aim is to achieve the targeting function of Aptamer 21-2 (Apt) by modifying glycyrrhizic acid (GA) to obtain Apt-GA and by delivering it through mesoporous silica in μm-size (μmS). Moreover, it is planned to induce synergistic effects of the novel amorphous preparation of Apt-GA with curcumin (Cur) in the treatment of psoriasis. UV/vis spectrophotometric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were performed to demonstrate the linkage of Apt and GA. The replacement of GA with Apt-GA in GA-Cur-μmS did not make a difference in the amorphous state, but showed superior fluorescence of Cur in the inflamed dermis similar to psoriatic induced by imiquimod. Consequently, compared to GA-Cur-μmS and Apt, Apt-GA-Cur-μmS exhibited less pronounced psoriatic characteristics in vivo, including Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, histological image, immunohistochemistry and immuno-fluorescence labeling neutrophils. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed a similar phenomenon that less IL-17A was observed after treatment with Apt-GA-Cur-μmS than with GA-Cur-μmS or Apt. Our finding suggests that this novel Apt delivery system achieved the Apt targeting function in the dermis by taking advantage of GA and μmS, and exhibited synergistic anti-psoriatic effect by co-delivering curcumin.