The aim of the study was to assess the sorption capacity of Ustekinumab, a drug based on interleukins 12 (IL-12) and 23 (IL-23), when using it with a magnetocontrollable sorbent.
Materials and methods: To reduce the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-12, IL-23), the blood of patients with psoriatic arthritis was passed through magnetocontrollable polyacrylamide granules (MPG) of spherical shape with the particle size of 10-100 μm, obtained by emulsion polymerization. Perfusion was performed through a 10 ml column equipped with an electromagnet, into which MPG with immobilized antibodies to IL-12 and IL-23 was added. Ustekinumab, a commercial drug with concentration of monoclonal antibodies equaling 0.2 mg per 1 ml of saline was used as the source of antibodies to these interleukins. The specific sorption capacity of MPG was determined using a column filled with the granules in a volume of 0.2 ml and inducing their subsequent interaction with 1 ml of IL-12 and IL-23 solutions with increasing concentrations.The heparinized blood of 10 patients with psoriatic arthritis of various degrees of activity, who had no parenteral administration of IL-12/IL-23 inhibitors (Ustekinumab) for 12 months, was subjected to in vitro treatment. The blood of 10 healthy donors was used as the control; the perfusion procedure was similar.
Results: Digital parameters were measured for each sample before and after the interaction between the sorbent and blood plasma. There was a significant decrease in cytokines from the baseline - by 99.8% (in donors) and by 99.9% (in patients). When using a carbon sorbent, their concentration decreases by 92.6% from the baseline. As a result of sorption, blood cell counts did not change reliably, which is an additional positive aspect of this procedure.
Conclusion: The maximum possible decrease in the level of cytokines has great practical importance, since they play a leading role in the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis. The use of a synthesized Ustekinumab-based sorbent is a highly effective way of removing them simultaneously from blood plasma.
Keywords: IL-12; IL-23; antibodies; interleukin-12; interleukin-23; magnetosorbents; psoriatic arthritis; sorption..