The urgency of the search for inexpensive and effective drugs with localized action for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis continues unabated. In this study, for the first time we investigated the Cytos-11 antisense oligonucleotide suppression of TNF-α gene expression in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis induced by complete Freund's adjuvant. Cytos-11 has been shown to effectively reduce peripheral blood concentrations of TNF-α, reduce joint inflammation, and reduce pannus development. The results achieved following treatment with the antisense oligonucleotide Cytos-11 were similar to those of adalimumab (Humira®); they also compared favorably with those results, which provides evidence of the promise of drugs based on antisense technologies in the treatment of this disease.
Keywords: Humira®; TNF-α; antisense technologies; inflammation; phosphorothioate oligonucleotides; rheumatoid arthritis.