Melittin-grafted HPMA-oligolysine based copolymers for gene delivery

Drug delivery to the central nervous system

Despite the rising global incidence of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, CNS drug development remains challenging, with high costs, long pathways to clinical use and high failure rates. The CNS is highly protected by physiological barriers, in particular, the blood-brain barrier and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, which limit access of most drugs. Biomaterials can be designed to bypass or traverse these barriers, enabling the controlled delivery of drugs into the CNS. In this Review, we first examine the effects of normal and diseased CNS physiology on drug delivery to the brain and spinal cord. We then discuss CNS drug delivery designs and materials that are administered systemically, directly to the CNS, intranasally or peripherally through intramuscular injections. Finally, we highlight important challenges and opportunities for materials design for drug delivery to the CNS and the anticipated clinical impact of CNS drug delivery.

The Reduced-Charge Melittin Analogue MelP5 Improves the Transfection of Non-Viral DNA Nanoparticles

Melittin is a 26 amino acid amphiphilic alpha-helical peptide derived from honeybee venom. Prior studies have incorporated melittin into non-viral delivery systems to effect endosomal escape of DNA nanoparticles and improve transfection efficiency. Recent advances have led to the development of two newer melittin analogues, MelP5 and Macrolittin 70, with improved pore formation in lipid bilayers while possessing fewer positive charges relative to natural melittin. Consequently, MelP5 and Macrolittin 70 were conjugated through a disulfide bond to a DNA binding polyacridine peptide. The resulting peptide conjugates were used to prepare DNA nanoparticles to compare their relative endosomolytic potency by transfection of HepG2 cells. Melittin and MelP5 conjugates were equally potent at mediating in vitro gene transfer, whereas PEGylation of DNA nanoparticles revealed improved transfection with MelP5 relative to melittin. The results demonstrate the ability to substitute a potent, reduced charge analogue of melittin to improve overall DNA nanoparticle biocompatibility needed for in vivo testing.

Peptide-Assisted Nucleic Acid Delivery Systems on the Rise

Concerns associated with nanocarriers' therapeutic efficacy and side effects have led to the development of strategies to advance them into targeted and responsive delivery systems. Owing to their bioactivity and biocompatibility, peptides play a key role in these strategies and, thus, have been extensively studied in nanomedicine. Peptide-based nanocarriers, in particular, have burgeoned with advances in purely peptidic structures and in combinations of peptides, both native and modified, with polymers, lipids, and inorganic nanoparticles. In this review, we summarize advances on peptides promoting gene delivery systems. The efficacy of nucleic acid therapies largely depends on cell internalization and the delivery to subcellular organelles. Hence, the review focuses on nanocarriers where peptides are pivotal in ferrying nucleic acids to their site of action, with a special emphasis on peptides that assist anionic, water-soluble nucleic acids in crossing the membrane barriers they encounter on their way to efficient function. In a second part, we address how peptides advance nanoassembly delivery tools, such that they navigate delivery barriers and release their nucleic acid cargo at specific sites in a controlled fashion.

Peptide modified polycations with pH triggered lytic activity for efficient gene delivery

Endo/lysosome entrapment is the key barrier for gene delivery using synthetic polycations. Although the introduction of a membrane-lytic peptide into polycations could facilitate efficient endo/lysosome release and improve gene delivery efficiency, it is always accompanied by serious safety concerns. In this work, the widely used polycations, poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA), poly(l-lysine) (PLL) and polyethylenimine (PEI), are modified with a pH-sensitive peptide (C6M3) with selective lytic activity to produce three functional polycations to address the issue of endo/lysosome entrapment and facilitate efficient gene transfer. Hemolysis study shows that the functionalized polycations show good biocompatibility toward red blood cells at neutral pH, and exhibit potent membrane lysis activity under acidic conditions, which are both on-demand for the ideal gene carriers. In vitro transfection studies demonstrate that the peptide modified polycations mediate promising gene delivery efficiency with the luciferase plasmid and the green fluorescence protein plasmid in HeLa cells compared to the parent polycations. Owing to the facile preparation and selective lysis activity of the C6M3 modified polycations, these smart gene vectors may be good candidates for the transfer of various nucleic acids and further clinical gene therapy.

Optimizing synthetic nucleic acid and protein nanocarriers: The chemical evolution approach

Optimizing synthetic nanocarriers is like searching for a needle in a haystack. How to find the most suitable carrier for intracellular delivery of a specified macromolecular nanoagent for a given disease target location? Here, we review different synthetic 'chemical evolution' strategies that have been pursued. Libraries of nanocarriers have been generated either by unbiased combinatorial chemistry or by variation and novel combination of known functional delivery elements. As in natural evolution, definition of nanocarriers as sequences, as barcode or design principle, may fuel chemical evolution. Screening in appropriate test system may not only provide delivery candidates, but also a refined understanding of cellular delivery including novel, unpredictable mechanisms. Combined with rational design and computational algorithms, candidates can be further optimized in subsequent evolution cycles into nanocarriers with improved safety and efficacy. Optimization of nanocarriers differs for various cargos, as illustrated for plasmid DNA, siRNA, mRNA, proteins, or genome-editing nucleases.

Optimizing the Polymer Chemistry and Synthesis Method of PolySTAT, an Injectable Hemostat

There is a lack of prehospital hemostatic agents, especially for noncompressible hemorrhage. We previously reported PolySTAT, a unimeric, injectable hemostatic agent, that physically cross-links fibrin to strengthen clots. In this work, we sought to improve the water-solubility and synthesis yield of PolySTAT to increase the likelihood of clinical translation, reduce cost, and facilitate future mass production. First, we focused on side-chain engineering of the carrier polymer backbone to improve water-solubility. We found that substitution of the 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) monomer with glycerol monomethacrylate (GmMA) significantly improved the water-solubility of PolySTAT without compromising efficacy. Both materials increased clot firmness and decreased lysis as measured by rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM). Additionally, we confirmed the in vivo activity of GmMA-based PolySTAT by improving rat survival in a femoral artery bleed model. Second, to reduce waste, we evaluated PolySTAT synthesis via direct polymerization of peptide monomers. Methacrylamide and methacrylate peptide-monomers were synthesized and polymerized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. This approach markedly improved the yield of PolySTAT synthesis while maintaining its biological activity in ROTEM. This work demonstrates the flexibility of PolySTAT to a variety of comonomers and synthetic routes and establishes direct RAFT polymerization of peptide monomers as a potential route of mass production.

Intrathecal drug delivery in the era of nanomedicine

Administration of substances directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cord is one approach that can circumvent the blood-brain barrier to enable drug delivery to the central nervous system (CNS). However, molecules that have been administered by intrathecal injection, which includes intraventricular, intracisternal, or lumbar locations, encounter new barriers within the subarachnoid space. These barriers include relatively high rates of turnover as CSF clears and potentially inadequate delivery to tissue or cellular targets. Nanomedicine could offer a solution. In contrast to the fate of freely administered drugs, nanomedicine systems can navigate the subarachnoid space to sustain delivery of therapeutic molecules, genes, and imaging agents within the CNS. Some evidence suggests that certain nanomedicine agents can reach the parenchyma following intrathecal administration. Here, we will address the preclinical and clinical use of intrathecal nanomedicine, including nanoparticles, microparticles, dendrimers, micelles, liposomes, polyplexes, and other colloidalal materials that function to alter the distribution of molecules in tissue. Our review forms a foundational understanding of drug delivery to the CSF that can be built upon to better engineer nanomedicine for intrathecal treatment of disease.

Peptide-based gene delivery vectors

Gene therapy as a strategy for disease treatment requires safe and efficient gene delivery systems that encapsulate nucleic acids and deliver them to effective sites in the cell.

pH-Sensitive Polymers as Dynamic Mediators of Barriers to Nucleic Acid Delivery

The nonviral delivery of exogenous nucleic acids (NA) into cells for therapeutic purposes has rapidly matured into tangible clinical impact. Synthetic polymers are particularly attractive vectors for NA delivery due to their relatively inexpensive production compared to viral alternatives and their highly tailorable chemical properties; indeed, many preclinical investigations have revealed the primary biological barriers to nonviral NA delivery by systematically varying polymeric material properties. This review focuses on applications of pH-sensitive chemistries that enable polymeric vectors to serially address multiple biological barriers to NA delivery. In particular, we focus on recent innovations with in vivo evaluation that dynamically enable colloidal stability, cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and nucleic acid release. We conclude with a summary of successes to date and projected areas for impactful future research.

pH-sensitive polymer micelles provide selective and potentiated lytic capacity to venom peptides for effective intracellular delivery

Endocytosed biomacromolecule delivery systems must escape the endosomal trafficking pathway in order for their cargo to exert effects in other cellular compartments. Although endosomal release is well-recognized as one of the greatest barriers to efficacy of biologic drugs with intracellular targets, most drug carriers have relied on cationic materials that passively induce endosomal swelling and membrane rupture with low efficiency. To address the endosome release challenge, our lab has developed a diblock copolymer system for nucleic acid delivery that selectively displays a potent membrane-lytic peptide (melittin) in response to the pH drop during the endosomal maturation. To further optimize this system, we evaluated a panel of peptides with reported lytic activity in comparison to melittin. Nineteen different lytic peptides were synthesized and their membrane-lytic properties at both neutral and acidic pH characterized using a red blood cell hemolysis assay. The top five performing peptides were then conjugated to our pH-sensitive diblock copolymer via disulfide linkers and used to deliver a variety of nucleic acids to cultured mammalian cells as well as in vivo to the mouse brain. We demonstrate that the sharp pH-transition of VIPER compensates for potential advantages from pH-sensitive peptides, such that polymer-peptide conjugates with poorly selective but highly lytic peptides achieve safe and effective transfection both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, peptides that require release from polymer backbones for lysis were less effective in the VIPER system, likely due to limited endosomal reducing power of target cells. Finally, we show that certain peptides are potentiated in lytic ability by polymer conjugation and that these peptide-polymer constructs are most effective in vivo.

Bioresponsive polyplexes - chemically programmed for nucleic acid delivery

INTRODUCTION

The whole delivery process of nucleic acids is very challenging. Appropriate carrier systems are needed, which show extracellular stability and intracellular disassembly. Viruses have developed various strategies to meet these requirements, as they are optimized by biological evolution to transfer genetic information into host cells. Taking viruses as models, smart synthetic carriers can be designed, mimicking the efficient delivery process of viral infection. These 'synthetic viruses' are pre-programmed and respond to little differences in their microenvironment, caused by either exogenous or endogenous stimuli.

AREAS COVERED

This review deals with polymer-based, bioresponsive nanosystems (polyplexes) for the delivery of nucleic acids. Strategies utilizing pH-responsiveness, redox-responsiveness as well as sensitivity towards enzymes will be described more in detail. Systems, which respond to other endogenous triggers (i.e. reactive oxygen species, adenosine triphosphate, hypoxia), will be briefly illustrated. Moreover, some examples for combined bioresponsiveness will be presented.

EXPERT OPINION

Bioresponsive polyplexes are a smart way to facilitate programmed, timely delivery of nucleic acids to desired, specific sites. Nevertheless, further optimization is necessary to improve the still moderate transfection efficiency and specificity - also in regard to medical translation. For this purpose, precise carrier structures are desirable and stability issues of bioresponsive systems must be considered.

In vitro and in vivo delivery of siRNA via VIPER polymer system to lung cells

The block copolymer VIPER (virus-inspired polymer for endosomal release) has been reported to be a promising novel delivery system of DNA plasmids both in vitro and in vivo. VIPER is comprised of a polycation segment for condensation of nucleic acids as well as a pH-sensitive segment that exposes the membrane lytic peptide melittin in acidic environments to facilitate endosomal escape. The objective of this study was to investigate VIPER/siRNA polyplex characteristics, and compare their in vitro and in vivo performance with commercially available transfection reagents and a control version of VIPER lacking melittin. VIPER/siRNA polyplexes were formulated and characterized at various charge ratios and shown to be efficiently internalized in cultured cells. Target mRNA knockdown was confirmed by both flow cytometry and qRT-PCR and the kinetics of knockdown was monitored by live cell spinning disk microscopy, revealing knockdown starting by 4 h post-delivery. Intratracheal instillation of VIPER particles formulated with sequence specific siRNA to the lung of mice resulted in a significantly more efficient knockdown of GAPDH compared to treatment with VIPER particles formulated with scrambled sequence siRNA. We also demonstrated using pH-sensitive labels that VIPER particles experience less acidic environments compared to control polyplexes. In summary, VIPER/siRNA polyplexes efficiently deliver siRNA in vivo resulting in robust gene silencing (>75% knockdown) within the lung.

Non-viral gene delivery systems for tissue repair and regeneration

Critical tissue defects frequently result from trauma, burns, chronic wounds and/or surgery. The ideal treatment for such tissue loss is autografting, but donor sites are often limited. Tissue engineering (TE) is an inspiring alternative for tissue repair and regeneration (TRR). One of the current state-of-the-art methods for TRR is gene therapy. Non-viral gene delivery systems (nVGDS) have great potential for TE and have several advantages over viral delivery including lower immunogenicity and toxicity, better cell specificity, better modifiability, and higher productivity. However, there is no ideal nVGDS for TRR, hence, there is widespread research to improve their properties. This review introduces the basic principles and key aspects of commonly-used nVGDSs. We focus on recent advances in their applications, current challenges, and future directions.

Polymers and hydrogels for local nucleic acid delivery

This review focusses on the rational design of materials (from polymers to hydrogel materials) to achieve successful local delivery of therapeutic nucleic acids.

Manipulating the membrane penetration mechanism of helical polypeptides via aromatic modification for efficient gene delivery

The delivery performance of non-viral gene vectors is greatly related to their intracellular kinetics. Cationic helical polypeptides with potent membrane penetration properties and gene transfection efficiencies have been recently developed by us. However, they suffer from severe drawbacks in terms of their membrane penetration mechanisms that mainly include endocytosis and pore formation. The endocytosis mechanism leads to endosomal entrapment of gene cargos, while the charge- and helicity-induced pore formation causes appreciable cytotoxicity at high concentrations. With the attempt to overcome such critical challenges, we incorporated aromatic motifs into the design of helical polypeptides to enhance their membrane activities and more importantly, to manipulate their membrane penetration mechanisms. The aromatically modified polypeptides exhibited higher cellular internalization level than the unmodified analogue by up to 2.5 folds. Such improvement is possibly because aromatic domains promoted the polypeptides to penetrate cell membranes via direct transduction, a non-endocytosis and non-pore formation mechanism. As such, gene cargos were more efficiently delivered into cells by bypassing endocytosis and subsequently avoiding endosomal entrapment, and the material toxicity associated with excessive pore formation was also reduced. The top-performing aromatic polypeptide containing naphthyl side chains at the incorporated content of 20mol% revealed notably higher transfection efficiencies than commercial reagents in melanoma cells in vitro (by 11.7 folds) and in vivo (by 9.1 folds), and thus found potential utilities toward topical gene delivery for cancer therapy.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Cationic helical polypeptides, as efficient gene delivery materials, suffer from severe drawbacks in terms of their membrane penetration mechanisms. The main cell penetration mechanisms involved are endocytosis and pore formation. However, the endocytosis mechanism has the limitation of endosomal entrapment of gene cargos, while the charge- and helicity-induced pore formation causes cytotoxicity at high concentrations. To address such critical issues toward the maximization of gene delivery efficiency, we incorporated aromatic domains into helical polypeptides to promote the cell membrane penetrations via direct transduction, which is a non-endocytosis and non-pore formation mechanism. The manipulation of their membrane penetration mechanisms allows gene cargos to be more efficiently delivered by bypassing endocytosis and subsequently avoiding endosomal entrapment.

From Composition to Cure: A Systems Engineering Approach to Anticancer Drug Carriers

The molecular complexity and heterogeneity of cancer has led to a persistent, and as yet unsolved, challenge to develop cures for this disease. The pharmaceutical industry focuses the bulk of its efforts on the development of new drugs, but an alternative approach is to improve the delivery of existing drugs with drug carriers that can manipulate when, where, and how a drug exerts its therapeutic effect. For the treatment of solid tumors, systemically delivered drug carriers face significant challenges that are imposed by the pathophysiological barriers that lie between their site of administration and their site of therapeutic action in the tumor. Furthermore, drug carriers face additional challenges in their translation from preclinical validation to clinical approval and adoption. Addressing this diverse network of challenges requires a systems engineering approach for the rational design of optimized carriers that have a realistic prospect for translation from the laboratory to the patient.

Self-assembled PEG–carboxymethylcellulose nanoparticles/α-cyclodextrin hydrogels for injectable and thermosensitive drug delivery

Novel cellulose hydrogels based on the inclusion complex between α-cyclodextrin and binary-drug loaded nanoparticles (carboxymethylcellulose–betulinic acid/hydroxycamptothecine nanoparticles) were prepared in aqueous media for the first time.

Journey to the Center of the Cell: Current Nanocarrier Design Strategies Targeting Biopharmaceuticals to the Cytoplasm and Nucleus

New biopharmaceutical molecules, potentially able to provide more personalized and effective treatments, are being identified through the advent of advanced synthetic biology strategies, sophisticated chemical synthesis approaches, and new analytical methods to assess biological potency. However, translation of many of these structures has been significantly limited due to the need for more efficient strategies to deliver macromolecular therapeutics to desirable intracellular sites of action. Engineered nanocarriers that encapsulate peptides, proteins, or nucleic acids are generally internalized into target cells via one of several endocytic pathways. These nanostructures, entrapped within endosomes, must navigate the intracellular milieu to orchestrate delivery to the intended destination, typically the cytoplasm or nucleus. For therapeutics active in the cytoplasm, endosomal escape continues to represent a limiting step to effective treatment, since a majority of nanocarriers trapped within endosomes are ultimately marked for enzymatic degradation in lysosomes. Therapeutics active in the nucleus have the added challenges of reaching and penetrating the nuclear envelope, and nuclear delivery remains a preeminent challenge preventing clinical translation of gene therapy applications. Herein, we review cutting-edge peptide- and polymer-based design strategies with the potential to enable significant improvements in biopharmaceutical efficacy through improved intracellular targeting. These strategies often mimic the activities of pathogens, which have developed innate and highly effective mechanisms to penetrate plasma membranes and enter the nucleus of host cells. Understanding these mechanisms has enabled advances in synthetic peptide and polymer design that may ultimately improve intracellular trafficking and bioavailability, leading to increased access to new classes of biotherapeutics.

Non-Viral Nucleic Acid Delivery Strategies to the Central Nervous System

With an increased prevalence and understanding of central nervous system (CNS) injuries and neurological disorders, nucleic acid therapies are gaining promise as a way to regenerate lost neurons or halt disease progression. While more viral vectors have been used clinically as tools for gene delivery, non-viral vectors are gaining interest due to lower safety concerns and the ability to deliver all types of nucleic acids. Nevertheless, there are still a number of barriers to nucleic acid delivery. In this focused review, we explore the in vivo challenges hindering non-viral nucleic acid delivery to the CNS and the strategies and vehicles used to overcome them. Advantages and disadvantages of different routes of administration including: systemic injection, cerebrospinal fluid injection, intraparenchymal injection and peripheral administration are discussed. Non-viral vehicles and treatment strategies that have overcome delivery barriers and demonstrated in vivo gene transfer to the CNS are presented. These approaches can be used as guidelines in developing synthetic gene delivery vectors for CNS applications and will ultimately bring non-viral vectors closer to clinical application.

Virus-Inspired Polymer for Efficient In Vitro and In Vivo Gene Delivery

Clinical translation of nucleic acids drugs has been stunted by limited delivery options. Herein, we report a synthetic polymer designed to mimic viral mechanisms of delivery called VIPER (virus-inspired polymer for endosomal release). VIPER is composed of a polycation block for condensation of nucleic acids, and a pH-sensitive block for acid-triggered display of a lytic peptide to promote trafficking to the cell cytosol. VIPER shows superior efficiencies compared to commercial agents when delivering genes to multiple immortalized cell lines. Importantly, in murine models, VIPER facilitates effective gene transfer to solid tumors.

Highly Uniform Perfluoropropane-Loaded Cerasomal Microbubbles As a Novel Ultrasound Contrast Agent

Microbubbles are widely used as ultrasound contrast agents owing to their excellent echoing characteristics under ultrasound radiation. However, their short sonographic duration and wide size distribution still hinder their application. Herein, we present a hard-template approach to produce perfluoropropane-loaded cerasomal microbubbles (PLCMs) with uniform size and long sonographic duration. The preparation of PLCMs includes deposition of Si-lipids onto functionalized CaCO3 microspheres, removal of their CaCO3 cores and mild infusion of perfluoropropane. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that PLCMs had excellent echoing characteristics under different ultrasound conditions. More importantly, PLCMs could be imaged for much longer than SonoVue (commercially used microbubbles) under the same ultrasound parameters and concentrations. Our results demonstrated that PLCMs have great potential for use as a novel contrast agent in ultrasound imaging.

High-content analysis for drug delivery and nanoparticle applications

High-content analysis (HCA) provides quantitative multiparametric cellular fluorescence data. From its origins in discovery toxicology, it is now addressing fundamental questions in drug delivery. Nanoparticles (NPs), polymers, and intestinal permeation enhancers are being harnessed in drug delivery systems to modulate plasma membrane properties and the intracellular environment. Identifying comparative mechanistic cytotoxicity on sublethal events is crucial to expedite the development of such systems. NP uptake and intracellular routing pathways are also being dissected using chemical and genetic perturbations, with the potential to assess the intracellular fate of targeted and untargeted particles in vitro. As we discuss here, HCA is set to make a major impact in preclinical delivery research by elucidating the intracellular pathways of NPs and the in vitro mechanistic-based toxicology of formulation constituents.

Multivalent display of pendant pro-apoptotic peptides increases cytotoxic activity

Several cationic antimicrobial peptides have been investigated as potential anti-cancer drugs due to their demonstrated selective toxicity towards cancer cells relative to normal cells. For example, intracellular delivery of KLA, a pro-apoptotic peptide, results in toxicity against a variety of cancer cell lines; however, the relatively low activity and small size lead to rapid renal excretion when applied in vivo, limiting its therapeutic potential. In this work, apoptotic peptide-polymer hybrid materials were developed to increase apoptotic peptide activity via multivalent display. Multivalent peptide materials were prepared with comb-like structure by RAFT copolymerization of peptide macromonomers with N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide (HPMA). Polymers displayed a GKRK peptide sequence for targeting p32, a protein often overexpressed on the surface of cancer cells, either fused with or as a comonomer to a KLA macromonomer. In three tested cancer cell lines, apoptotic polymers were significantly more cytotoxic than free peptides as evidenced by an order of magnitude decrease in IC50 values for the polymers compared to free peptide. The uptake efficiency and intracellular trafficking of one polymer construct was determined by radiolabeling and subcellular fractionation. Despite their more potent cytotoxic profile, polymeric KLA constructs have poor cellular uptake efficiency (<1%). A significant fraction (20%) of internalized constructs localize with intact mitochondrial fractions. In an effort to increase cellular uptake, polymer amines were converted to guanidines by reaction with O-methylisourea. Guanidinylated polymers disrupted function of isolated mitochondria more than their lysine-based analogs, but overall toxicity was decreased, likely due to inefficient mitochondrial trafficking. Thus, while multivalent KLA polymers are more potent than KLA peptides, these materials can be substantially improved by designing next generation materials with improved cellular internalization and mitochondrial targeting efficiency.

Antibiofouling polymer interfaces: poly(ethylene glycol) and other promising candidates

This review highlights antibiofouling polymer interfaces with emphasis on the latest developments using poly(ethylene glycol) and the design new polymeric structures.

Reducible, dibromomaleimide-linked polymers for gene delivery

Polycations have been successfully used as gene transfer vehicles both in vitro and in vivo; however, their cytotoxicity has been associated with increasing molecular weight. Polymers that can be rapidly degraded after internalization are typically better tolerated by mammalian cells compared to their non-degradable counterparts. Here, we report the use of a dibromomaleimide-alkyne (DBM-alkyne) linking agent to reversibly bridge cationic polymer segments for gene delivery and to provide site-specific functionalization by azide-alkyne cycloaddition chemistry. A panel of reducible and non-reducible, statistical copolymers of (2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA) were synthesized and evaluated. When complexed with plasmid DNA, the reducible and non-reducible polymers had comparable DNA condensation properties, sizes, and transfection efficiencies. When comparing cytotoxicity, the DBM-linked, reducible polymers were significantly less toxic than the non-reducible polymers. To demonstrate polymer functionalization by click chemistry, the DBM-linked polymers were tagged with an azide-fluorophore and were used to monitor cellular uptake. Overall, this polymer system introduces the use of a reversible linker, DBM-alkyne, to the area of gene delivery and allows for facile, orthogonal, and site-specific functionalization of gene delivery vehicles.

Drug delivery systems, CNS protection, and the blood brain barrier

Present review highlights various drug delivery systems used for delivery of pharmaceutical agents mainly antibiotics, antineoplastic agents, neuropeptides, and other therapeutic substances through the endothelial capillaries (BBB) for CNS therapeutics. In addition, the use of ultrasound in delivery of therapeutic agents/biomolecules such as proline rich peptides, prodrugs, radiopharmaceuticals, proteins, immunoglobulins, and chimeric peptides to the target sites in deep tissue locations inside tumor sites of brain has been explained. In addition, therapeutic applications of various types of nanoparticles such as chitosan based nanomers, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, niosomes, beta cyclodextrin carriers, cholesterol mediated cationic solid lipid nanoparticles, colloidal drug carriers, liposomes, and micelles have been discussed with their recent advancements. Emphasis has been given on the need of physiological and therapeutic optimization of existing drug delivery methods and their carriers to deliver therapeutic amount of drug into the brain for treatment of various neurological diseases and disorders. Further, strong recommendations are being made to develop nanosized drug carriers/vehicles and noninvasive therapeutic alternatives of conventional methods for better therapeutics of CNS related diseases. Hence, there is an urgent need to design nontoxic biocompatible drugs and develop noninvasive delivery methods to check posttreatment clinical fatalities in neuropatients which occur due to existing highly toxic invasive drugs and treatment methods.

Enhanced Performance of Plasmid DNA Polyplexes Stabilized by a Combination of Core Hydrophobicity and Surface PEGylation

Nonviral gene therapy has high potential for safely promoting tissue restoration and for treating various genetic diseases. One current limitation is that conventional transfection reagents such as polyethylenimine (PEI) form electrostatically stabilized plasmid DNA (pDNA) polyplexes with poor colloidal stability. In this study, a library of poly(ethylene glycol-b-(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-co-butyl methacrylate)) [poly(EG-b-(DMAEMA-co-BMA))] polymers were synthesized and screened for improved colloidal stability and nucleic acid transfection following lyophilization. When added to pDNA in the appropriate pH buffer, the DMAEMA moieties initiate formation of electrostatic polyplexes that are internally stabilized by hydrophobic interactions of the core BMA blocks and sterically stabilized against aggregation by a PEG corona. The BMA content was varied from 0% to 60% in the second polymer block in order to optimally tune the balance of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions in the polyplex core, and polymers with 40 and 50 mol% BMA achieved the highest transfection efficiency. Diblock copolymers were more stable than PEI in physiologic buffers. Consequently, diblock copolymer polyplexes aggregated more slowly and followed a reaction-limited colloidal aggregation model, while fast aggregation of PEI polyplexes was governed by a diffusion-limited model. Polymers with 40% BMA did not aggregate significantly after lyophilization and produced up to 20-fold higher transfection efficiency than PEI polyplexes both before and after lyophilization. Furthermore, poly(EG-b-(DMAEMA-co-BMA)) polyplexes exhibited pH-dependent membrane disruption in a red blood cell hemolysis assay and endosomal escape as observed by confocal microscopy.Lyophilized polyplexes made with the lead candidate diblock copolymer (40% BMA) also successfully transfected cells in vitro following incorporation into gas-foamed polymeric scaffolds. In summary, the enhanced colloidal stability, endosomal escape, and resultant high transfection efficiency of poly(EG-b-(DMAEMA-co-BMA))-pDNA polyplexes underscores their potential utility both for local delivery from scaffolds as well as systemic, intravenous delivery.

Design of imperfectly amphipathic α-helical antimicrobial peptides with enhanced cell selectivity

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are produced by multicellular organisms as a defense mechanism against competing pathogenic microbes, appear to be excellent candidates for the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Amphipathicity is traditionally believed to be crucial to the de novo design or systematic optimization of AMPs. In this study, we designed a series of short α-helical AMPs with imperfect amphipathicity to augment the arsenal of strategies and to gain further insights into their antimicrobial and hemolytic activity. These imperfectly amphipathic α-helical AMPs were designed by replacing the paired charged amino acid residues on the polar face of an amphipathic peptide with tryptophan residues on the basis of α-helical protein folding principles. PRW4, an imperfectly amphipathic α-helical AMP with hydrogen bonds formed by paired tryptophan residues, was observed to be more selective towards bacterial cells than toward human red blood cells. PRW4 was also effective against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, and fluorescence spectroscopy, flow cytometry, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy indicated that PRW4 killed microbial cells by permeabilizing the cell membrane and damaging their membrane integrity. Therefore, disruptive amphipathicity has excellent potential for the rational design and optimization of AMPs with promising antimicrobial activities.

Maximizing gene delivery efficiencies of cationic helical polypeptides via balanced membrane penetration and cellular targeting

The application of non-viral gene delivery vectors is often accompanied with the poor correlation between transfection efficiency and the safety profiles of vectors. Vectors with high transfection efficiencies often suffer from high toxicities, making it unlikely to improve their efficiencies by increasing the DNA dosage. In the current study, we developed a ternary complex system which consisted of a highly membrane-active cationic helical polypeptide (PVBLG-8), a low-toxic, membrane-inactive cationic helical polypeptide (PVBLG-7) capable of mediating mannose receptor targeting, and DNA. The PVBLG-7 moiety notably enhanced the cellular uptake and transfection efficiency of PVBLG-8 in a variety of mannose receptor-expressing cell types (HeLa, COS-7, and Raw 264.7), while it did not compromise the membrane permeability of PVBLG-8 or bring additional cytotoxicities. Because of the simplicity and adjustability of the self-assembly approach, optimal formulations of the ternary complexes with a proper balance between membrane activity and targeting capability were easily identified in each specific cell type. The optimal ternary complexes displayed desired cell tolerability and markedly outperformed the PVBLG-8/DNA binary complexes as well as commercial reagent Lipofectamine™ 2000 in terms of transfection efficiency. This study therefore provides an effective and facile strategy to overcome the efficiency-toxicity poor correlation of non-viral vectors, which contributes insights into the design strategy of effective and safe non-viral gene delivery vectors.

Engineering biodegradable and multifunctional peptide-based polymers for gene delivery

The complex nature of in vivo gene transfer establishes the need for multifunctional delivery vectors capable of meeting these challenges. An additional consideration for clinical translation of synthetic delivery formulations is reproducibility and scale-up of materials. In this review, we summarize our work over the last five years in developing a modular approach for synthesizing peptide-based polymers. In these materials, bioactive peptides that address various barriers to gene delivery are copolymerized with a hydrophilic backbone of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) using reversible-addition fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. We demonstrate that this synthetic approach results in well-defined, narrowly-disperse polymers with controllable composition and molecular weight. To date, we have investigated the effectiveness of various bioactive peptides for DNA condensation, endosomal escape, cell targeting, and degradability on gene transfer, as well as the impact of multivalency and polymer architecture on peptide bioactivity.

Optimization of Tet1 ligand density in HPMA-co-oligolysine copolymers for targeted neuronal gene delivery

Targeted gene delivery vectors can enhance cellular specificity and transfection efficiency. We demonstrated previously that conjugation of Tet1, a peptide that binds to the GT1b ganglioside, to polyethylenimine results in preferential transfection of neural progenitor cells in vivo. In this work, we investigate the effect of Tet1 ligand density on gene delivery to neuron-like, differentiated PC-12 cells. A series of statistical, cationic peptide-based polymers containing various amounts (1-5 mol%) of Tet1 were synthesized via one-pot reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization by copolymerization of Tet1 and oligo-l-lysine macromonomers with N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA). When complexed with plasmid DNA, the resulting panel of Tet1-functionalized polymers formed particles with similar particle size as particles formed with untargeted HPMA-oligolysine copolymers. The highest cellular uptake in neuron-like differentiated PC-12 cells was observed using polymers with intermediate Tet1 peptide incorporation. Compared to untargeted polymers, polymers with optimal incorporation of Tet1 increased gene delivery to neuron-like PC-12 cells by over an order of magnitude but had no effect compared to control polymers in transfecting NIH/3T3 control cells.

Block copolymers containing a hydrophobic domain of membrane-lytic peptides form micellar structures and are effective gene delivery agents

Endosomal release peptides have been incorporated in synthetic gene delivery formulations to increase transfection efficiencies. In this work, cationic copolymers containing sHGP, a membrane-lytic peptide derived from HIV gp41, were synthesized and evaluated. Diblock, with sHGP displayed on one block, and statistical, with sHGP randomly displayed, copolymers were prepared via RAFT polymerization. While the statistical copolymer existed as unimers in solution, amphiphilic diblock copolymers self-assembled into cationic micelles in aqueous solution as evidenced by TEM and dynamic light scattering analyses. This self-assembly sequestered the lytic domain and significantly reduced the cytotoxicity of the materials. However, when complexed with plasmid DNA, both the diblock and statistical copolymers of sHGP showed higher gene delivery efficacy compared to the copolymers without the membrane lytic motif. The ability of amphiphilic, diblock copolymers containing endosomal release motifs to self-assemble and sequester lytic domains is a promising feature for the nucleic acid delivery.

Influence of histidine incorporation on buffer capacity and gene transfection efficiency of HPMA-co-oligolysine brush polymers

One of the major intracellular barriers to nonviral gene delivery is efficient endosomal escape. The incorporation of histidine residues into polymeric constructs has been found to increase endosomal escape via the proton sponge effect. Statistical and diblock copolymers of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA), oligolysine, and oligohistidine were synthesized via reversible-addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and tested for in vitro transfection efficiency, buffering ability, and polyplex uptake mechanism via the use of chemical endocytic inhibitors. Interestingly, histidine-containing statistical and diblock polymers exhibited increased buffer capacity in different endosomal pH ranges. Statistical copolymers transfected better than block copolymers that contained similar amounts of histidine. In addition, only the polymer containing the highest incorporation of oligohistidine residues led to increases in transfection efficiency over the HPMA-oligolysine base polymer. Thus, for these polymer architectures, high histidine incorporation may be required for efficient endosomal escape. Furthermore, inhibitor studies indicate that nonacidified caveolae-mediated endocytosis may be the primary route of transfection for these copolymers, suggesting that alternative approaches for increasing endosomal escape may be beneficial for enhancing transfection efficiency with these HPMA-oligolysine copolymers.

Comparative study of guanidine-based and lysine-based brush copolymers for plasmid delivery

Polyethylenimine (PEI), one of the most frequently used polycations for non-viral nucleic acid delivery, exhibits good transfection efficiency to cultured cells but generally has to be used in restricted concentration ranges due to high cytotoxicity. We recently reported a family of HPMA-co-oligolysine brush copolymers that show nucleic acid delivery efficiencies approaching that of PEI. Guanidine-containing polymers have been reported in some systems to be more effective at cellular delivery of cargo than their primary-amine analogs. The goal of this work is to investigate the effect of guanidinylation on gene transfer ability of HPMA-co-oligolysine copolymers. Several parameters were evaluated: arginine versus homoarginine monomers, oligopeptide length, and charge density within the peptide. Using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, a series of six copolymers were synthesized containing the cationic peptides K₁₀, R₁₀, K₅, and (GK)₅. Lysine-containing copolymers were functionalized with guanidine by reaction with O-methylisourea to generate an additional five homoarginine-based copolymers. All eleven copolymers readily condensed DNA into small, < 150 nm polyplexes and remained stable in physiological salt conditions. The best performing copolymers provided more efficient gene transfection with less associated cytotoxicity than PEI. Reducing the number of charge centers (from 10 to 5) further reduced toxicity while retaining comparable transfection efficiency to PEI.