The invention relates to the fields of therapy and
drug delivery. It is based on an unexpected finding that a combination of an
oligonucleotide-based medicament with a
saponin component comprising a penta-cyclic
triterpene saponin of a 12,13-dehydrooleanane
aglycone core, not only does not appear to be associated with
oligonucleotide medicament-induced nephrotoxic effects after
systemic administration in vivo, but also that it allows the
oligonucleotide-based medicament to enter and act on its
nucleic acid target inside of the
kidney cells instead of remaining unproductively trapped in renal subcellular compartments or being eliminated into the
urine via the renal glomerular
filtration system. In line with this finding, herein disclosed are therapeutic combinations, compositions, and formulations, as well as methods of treatment involving their administration, which comprise an oligonucleotide-based medicament that acts on an
intracellular nucleic acid target in the
kidney cells and / or in the cells of the
spleen, being the other
blood filtering organ in addition to the
kidney, and a
saponin component that enables the effective release of said medicament inside of these cells, thus allowing its use at a much lower and
safer dose. The provision of the presented herein therapeutic combinations enables effective modulation of
gene expression in the kidney and / or
spleen cells and, therefore, it opens not only new
treatment options for kidney diseases, in particular those involving
inflammation and / or splenomegaly, but also for diseases of other organs which affect or are affected by the
pathological processes happening in the kidneys and / or in the
spleen, in particular being inflammatory processes.