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Jagrosse ML, Baliga UK, Jones CW, Russell JJ, García CI, Najar RA, Rahman A, Dean DA, Nilsson BL. Impact of Peptide Sequence on Functional siRNA Delivery and Gene Knockdown with Cyclic Amphipathic Peptide Delivery Agents. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:6090-6103. [PMID: 37963105 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Short-interfering RNA (siRNA) oligonucleotide therapeutics that modify gene expression by accessing RNA-interference (RNAi) pathways have great promise for the treatment of a range of disorders; however, their application in clinical settings has been limited by significant challenges in cellular delivery. Herein, we report a structure-function study using a series of modified cyclic amphipathic cell-penetrating peptides (CAPs) to determine the impact of peptide sequence on (1) siRNA-binding efficiency, (2) cellular delivery and knockdown efficiency, and (3) the endocytic uptake mechanism. Nine cyclic peptides of the general sequence Ac-C[XZ]4CG-NH2 in which X residues are hydrophobic/aromatic (Phe, Tyr, Trp, or Leu) and Z residues are charged/hydrophilic (Arg, Lys, Ser, or Glu) are assessed along with one acyclic peptide, Ac-(WR)4G-NH2. Cyclization is enforced by intramolecular disulfide bond formation between the flanking Cys residues. Binding analyses indicate that strong cationic character and the presence of aromatic residues that are competent to participate in CH-π interactions lead to CAP sequences that most effectively interact with siRNA. CAP-siRNA binding increases in the following order as a function of CAP hydrophobic/aromatic content: His < Phe < Tyr < Trp. Both cationic charge and disulfide-constrained cyclization of CAPs improve uptake of siRNA in vitro. Net neutral CAPs and an acyclic peptide demonstrate less-efficient siRNA translocation compared to the cyclic, cationic CAPs tested. All CAPs tested facilitated efficient siRNA target gene knockdown of at least 50% (as effective as a lipofectamine control), with the best CAPs enabling >80% knockdown. Significantly, gene knockdown efficiency does not strongly correlate with CAP-siRNA internalization efficiency but moderately correlates with CAP-siRNA-binding affinity. Finally, utilization of small-molecule inhibitors and targeted knockdown of essential endocytic pathway proteins indicate that most CAP-siRNA nanoparticles facilitate siRNA delivery through clathrin- and caveolin-mediated endocytosis. These results provide insight into the design principles for CAPs to facilitate siRNA delivery and the mechanisms by which these peptides translocate siRNA into cells. These studies also demonstrate the nature of the relationships between peptide-siRNA binding, cellular delivery of siRNA cargo, and functional gene knockdown. Strong correlations between these properties are not always observed, which illustrates the complexity in the design of optimal next-generation materials for oligonucleotide delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa L Jagrosse
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Uday K Baliga
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Christopher W Jones
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Jade J Russell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Claudia I García
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Rauf Ahmad Najar
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Arshad Rahman
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - David A Dean
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, University of Rochester Medical Center, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Bradley L Nilsson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
- Materials Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, United States
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Wu L, Zhou W, Lin L, Chen A, Feng J, Qu X, Zhang H, Yue J. Delivery of therapeutic oligonucleotides in nanoscale. Bioact Mater 2022; 7:292-323. [PMID: 34466734 PMCID: PMC8379367 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic oligonucleotides (TOs) represent one of the most promising drug candidates in the targeted cancer treatment due to their high specificity and capability of modulating cellular pathways that are not readily druggable. However, efficiently delivering of TOs to cancer cellular targets is still the biggest challenge in promoting their clinical translations. Emerging as a significant drug delivery vector, nanoparticles (NPs) can not only protect TOs from nuclease degradation and enhance their tumor accumulation, but also can improve the cell uptake efficiency of TOs as well as the following endosomal escape to increase the therapeutic index. Furthermore, targeted and on-demand drug release of TOs can also be approached to minimize the risk of toxicity towards normal tissues using stimuli-responsive NPs. In the past decades, remarkable progresses have been made on the TOs delivery based on various NPs with specific purposes. In this review, we will first give a brief introduction on the basis of TOs as well as the action mechanisms of several typical TOs, and then describe the obstacles that prevent the clinical translation of TOs, followed by a comprehensive overview of the recent progresses on TOs delivery based on several various types of nanocarriers containing lipid-based nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, porous nanoparticles, DNA/RNA nanoassembly, extracellular vesicles, and imaging-guided drug delivery nanoparticles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Wenhui Zhou
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory and Turku Bioscience Centre, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, 20520, Finland
- Southern Medical University Affiliated Fengxian Hospital, Shanghai, 201499, China
| | - Lihua Lin
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Anhong Chen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Jing Feng
- Southern Medical University Affiliated Fengxian Hospital, Shanghai, 201499, China
| | - Xiangmeng Qu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China
| | - Hongbo Zhang
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory and Turku Bioscience Centre, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, 20520, Finland
| | - Jun Yue
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong, China
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Ukidve A, Cu K, Kumbhojkar N, Lahann J, Mitragotri S. Overcoming biological barriers to improve solid tumor immunotherapy. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2021; 11:2276-2301. [PMID: 33611770 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-021-00923-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has been at the forefront of therapeutic interventions for many different tumor types over the last decade. While the discovery of immunotherapeutics continues to occur at an accelerated rate, their translation is often hindered by a lack of strategies to deliver them specifically into solid tumors. Accordingly, significant scientific efforts have been dedicated to understanding the underlying mechanisms that govern their delivery into tumors and the subsequent immune modulation. In this review, we aim to summarize the efforts focused on overcoming tumor-associated biological barriers and enhancing the potency of immunotherapy. We summarize the current understanding of biological barriers that limit the entry of intravascularly administered immunotherapies into the tumors, in vitro techniques developed to investigate the underlying transport processes, and delivery strategies developed to overcome the barriers. Overall, we aim to provide the reader with a framework that guides the rational development of technologies for improved solid tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anvay Ukidve
- John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Katharina Cu
- John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ninad Kumbhojkar
- John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Joerg Lahann
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Department of Material Science & Engineering, Department of Macromolecular Science & Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Samir Mitragotri
- John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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