Targeted systemic mesenchymal stem cell delivery using hyaluronate - wheat germ agglutinin conjugate

Nanotechnology and bioengineering approaches to improve the potency of mesenchymal stem cell as an off-the-shelf versatile tumor delivery vehicle

Targeting actionable mutations in oncogene-driven cancers and the evolution of immuno-oncology are the two prominent revolutions that have influenced cancer treatment paradigms and caused the emergence of precision oncology. However, intertumoral and intratumoral heterogeneity are the main challenges in both fields of precision cancer treatment. In other words, finding a universal marker or pathway in patients suffering from a particular type of cancer is challenging. Therefore, targeting a single hallmark or pathway with a single targeted therapeutic will not be efficient for fighting against tumor heterogeneity. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess favorable characteristics for cellular therapy, including their hypoimmune nature, inherent tumor-tropism property, straightforward isolation, and multilineage differentiation potential. MSCs can be loaded with various chemotherapeutics and oncolytic viruses. The combination of these intrinsic features with the possibility of genetic manipulation makes them a versatile tumor delivery vehicle that can be used for in vivo selective tumor delivery of various chemotherapeutic and biological therapeutics. MSCs can be used as biofactory for the local production of chemical or biological anticancer agents at the tumor site. MSC-mediated immunotherapy could facilitate the sustained release of immunotherapeutic agents specifically at the tumor site, and allow for the achievement of therapeutic concentrations without the need for repetitive systemic administration of high therapeutic doses. Despite the enthusiasm evoked by preclinical studies that used MSC in various cancer therapy approaches, the translation of MSCs into clinical applications has faced serious challenges. This manuscript, with a critical viewpoint, reviewed the preclinical and clinical studies that have evaluated MSCs as a selective tumor delivery tool in various cancer therapy approaches, including gene therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. Then, the novel nanotechnology and bioengineering approaches that can improve the potency of MSC for tumor targeting and overcoming challenges related to their low localization at the tumor sites are discussed.

Precision Nanomedicine with Bio-Inspired Nanosystems: Recent Trends and Challenges in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Membrane-Coated Bioengineered Nanocarriers in Targeted Nanotherapeutics

In the recent past, the formulation and development of nanocarriers has been elaborated into the broader fields and opened various avenues in their preclinical and clinical applications. In particular, the cellular membrane-based nanoformulations have been formulated to surpass and surmount the limitations and restrictions associated with naïve or free forms of therapeutic compounds and circumvent various physicochemical and immunological barriers including but not limited to systemic barriers, microenvironmental roadblocks, and other cellular or subcellular hinderances-which are quite heterogeneous throughout the diseases and patient cohorts. These limitations in drug delivery have been overcome through mesenchymal cells membrane-based precision therapeutics, where these interventions have led to the significant enhancements in therapeutic efficacies. However, the formulation and development of nanocarriers still focuses on optimization of drug delivery paradigms with a one-size-fits-all resolutions. As mesenchymal stem cell membrane-based nanocarriers have been engineered in highly diversified fashions, these are being optimized for delivering the drug payloads in more and better personalized modes, entering the arena of precision as well as personalized nanomedicine. In this Review, we have included some of the advanced nanocarriers which have been designed and been utilized in both the non-personalized as well as precision applicability which can be employed for the improvements in precision nanotherapeutics. In the present report, authors have focused on various other aspects of the advancements in stem cells membrane-based nanoparticle conceptions which can surmount several roadblocks and barriers in drug delivery and nanomedicine. It has been suggested that well-informed designing of these nanocarriers will lead to appreciable improvements in the therapeutic efficacy in therapeutic payload delivery applications. These approaches will also enable the tailored and customized designs of MSC-based nanocarriers for personalized therapeutic applications, and finally amending the patient outcomes.

Wheat germ agglutinin conjugated chitosan nanoparticles for gemcitabine delivery in MCF-7 cells; synthesis, characterisation and in vitro cytotoxicity studies

OBJECTIVE AND AIM

Numerous clinical trials indicated combination regimens containing gemcitabine could extend progression-free survival of breast cancer patients without increasing the incidence of serious adverse effects. Orally administered gemcitabine is being metabolized by enzymes present in intestinal cells rapidly; thereupon, the current study was aimed to preparing, optimizing, and evaluating cytotoxicity of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated gemcitabine-chitosan nanoparticles (WGA-Gem-CNPs) in MCF-7 and HEK293 cells and to determining their cellular uptake by Caco-2 cells.

METHODS

Gem-CNPs were prepared by Ionic Gelation method and optimum formulation was implied for WGA conjugation optimisation. Nanoparticles formation was approved by FTIR and DSC analyses; then particles were characterized by DLS and release profile was prepared. MTT assay was performed in MCF-7 and HEK293.

RESULTS

Optimized Gem-CNPs and WGA-Gem-CNPs particle size were estimated as 126.6 ± 21.8 and 144.8 ± 36.1 nm, respectively. WGA conjugation efficacy was calculated as 50.98 ± 2.32 percent and encapsulation efficiency in WGA-Gem-CNPs was 69.44 ± 3.41 percent. Three-hour Caco-2 cellular uptake from Gem-CNPs and WGA-Gem-CNPs were estimated as averagely 3.5 and 4.5 folds higher than free drug, respectively. Gem-CNPs and WGA-Gem-CNPs reduced IC50 in MCF-7 cells by 2 and 2.5 folds, respectively; such decrease for HEK293 cells was as much as 2.4 and 6.3 folds, in same order.

CONCLUSION

Demonstrated significant in vitro uptake of WGA-Gem-CNPs and cytotoxicity might be considered for more studies as a potential carrier for oral delivery of gemcitabine.

Biodistribution of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Labeled with [89Zr]Zr-Oxine in Local Radiation Injuries in Laboratory Animals

BACKGROUND

Tracking the migration pathways of living cells after their introduction into a patient's body is a topical issue in the field of cell therapy. Questions related to studying the possibility of long-term intravital biodistribution of mesenchymal stromal cells in the body currently remain open.

METHODS

Forty-nine laboratory animals were used in the study. Modeling of local radiation injuries was carried out, and the dynamics of the distribution of mesenchymal stromal cells labeled with [89Zr]Zr-oxine in the rat body were studied.

RESULTS

the obtained results of the labelled cell distribution allow us to assume that this procedure could be useful for visualization of local radiation injury using positron emission tomography. However, further research is needed to confirm this assumption.

CONCLUSIONS

intravenous injection leads to the initial accumulation of cells in the lungs and their subsequent redistribution to the liver, spleen, and kidneys. When locally injected into tissues, mesenchymal stromal cells are not distributed systemically in significant quantities.

In-vivo programmable acoustic manipulation of genetically engineered bacteria

Acoustic tweezers can control target movement through the momentum interaction between an acoustic wave and an object. This technology has advantages over optical tweezers for in-vivo cell manipulation due to its high tissue penetrability and strong acoustic radiation force. However, normal cells are difficult to acoustically manipulate because of their small size and the similarity between their acoustic impedance and that of the medium. In this study, we use the heterologous expression of gene clusters to generate genetically engineered bacteria that can produce numerous sub-micron gas vesicles in the bacterial cytoplasm. We show that the presence of the gas vesicles significantly enhances the acoustic sensitivity of the engineering bacteria, which can be manipulated by ultrasound. We find that by employing phased-array-based acoustic tweezers, the engineering bacteria can be trapped into clusters and manipulated in vitro and in vivo via electronically steered acoustic beams, enabling the counter flow or on-demand flow of these bacteria in the vasculature of live mice. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the aggregation efficiency of engineering bacteria in a tumour is improved by utilizing this technology. This study provides a platform for the in-vivo manipulation of live cells, which will promote the progress of cell-based biomedical applications.

Manipulating Cell Fates with Protein Conjugates

The homeostasis of cellular activities is essential for the normal functioning of living organisms. Hence, the ability to regulate the fates of cells is of great significance for both fundamental chemical biology studies and therapeutic development. Despite the notable success of small-molecule drugs that normally act on cellular protein functions, current clinical challenges have highlighted the use of macromolecules to tune cell function for improved therapeutic outcomes. As a class of hybrid biomacromolecules gaining rapidly increasing attention, protein conjugates have exhibited great potential as versatile tools to manipulate cell function for therapeutic applications, including cancer treatment, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Therefore, recent progress in the design and assembly of protein conjugates used to regulate cell function is discussed in this review. The protein conjugates covered here are classified into three different categories based on their mechanisms of action and relevant applications: (1) regulation of intercellular interactions; (2) intervention in intracellular biological pathways; (3) termination of cell proliferation. Within each genre, a variety of protein conjugate scaffolds are discussed, which contain a diverse array of grafted molecules, such as lipids, oligonucleotides, synthetic polymers, and small molecules, with an emphasis on their conjugation methodologies and potential biomedical applications. While the current generation of protein conjugates is focused largely on delivery, the next generation is expected to address issues of site-specific conjugation, in vivo stability, controllability, target selectivity, and biocompatibility.

Cell-based drug delivery systems and their in vivo fate

Cell-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) have received attention recently because of their unique biological properties and self-powered functions, such as excellent biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, long circulation time, tissue-homingcharacteristics, and ability to cross biological barriers. A variety of cells, including erythrocytes, stem cells, and lymphocytes, have been explored as functional vectors for the loading and delivery of various therapeutic payloads (e.g., small-molecule and nucleic acid drugs) for subsequent disease treatment. These cell-based DDSs have their own unique in vivo fates, which are attributed to various factors, including their biological properties and functions, the loaded drugs and loading process, physiological and pathological circumstances, and the body's response to these carrier cells, which result in differences in drug delivery efficiency and therapeutic effect. In this review, we summarize the main cell-based DDSs and their biological properties and functions, applications in drug delivery and disease treatment, and in vivo fate and influencing factors. We envision that the unique biological properties, combined with continuing research, will enable development of cell-based DDSs as friendly drug vectors for the safe, effective, and even personalized treatment of diseases.

Biodistribution of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells after Administration in Animal Models and Humans: A Systematic Review

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) are of great interest in cellular therapy. Different routes of administration of MSCs have been described both in pre-clinical and clinical reports. Knowledge about the fate of the administered cells is critical for developing MSC-based therapies. The aim of this review is to describe how MSCs are distributed after injection, using different administration routes in animal models and humans. A literature search was performed in order to consider how MSCs distribute after intravenous, intraarterial, intramuscular, intraarticular and intralesional injection into both animal models and humans. Studies addressing the biodistribution of MSCs in “in vivo” animal models and humans were included. After the search, 109 articles were included in the review. Intravenous administration of MSCs is widely used; it leads to an initial accumulation of cells in the lungs with later redistribution to the liver, spleen and kidneys. Intraarterial infusion bypasses the lungs, so MSCs distribute widely throughout the rest of the body. Intramuscular, intraarticular and intradermal administration lack systemic biodistribution. Injection into various specific organs is also described. Biodistribution of MSCs in animal models and humans appears to be similar and depends on the route of administration. More studies with standardized protocols of MSC administration could be useful in order to make results homogeneous and more comparable.

Comparative Evaluation of Two Hyaluronic Acid Gel Products for the Treatment of Interdental Papillary Defects

Objectives

The aim was to investigate the efficacy of single injections of two different hyaluronic acid products, Flex Barrier and Revident, in reducing the size of black triangles to treat Nordland-Tarnow Class I and II recessions.

Materials and Methods

Forty adult patients were recruited with at least two upper and two lower interdental papilla defects in the front region between canine teeth. According to the Nordland-Tarnow classification of papillary defects, both Class I and Class II recessions were included in the investigation. Patients were randomly assigned to experimental groups to receive single injections of two different hyaluronic acid products, either Flex Barrier or Revident. The untreated sites served as controls. Photographs were taken before and immediately after the treatment, and again after one week and one month. To determine the size of the black triangles, Image J software was used. For statistical analysis, a mixed-design ANOVA was applied.

Results

Both Flex Barrier and Revident significantly decreased the size of the treated defects immediately after the treatment and also one week later (p<0.001). The beneficial effect of Revident lasted longer than Flex Barrier as it remained significant even after one month in Revident-treated patients, however, not in the Flex Barrier-treated group. Furthermore, Nordland-Tarnow Class I lesions generally showed a greater improvement than Class II lesions.

Conclusion

In this proof-of-concept, randomized clinical trial we have demonstrated the clinical applicability of both Flex Barrier and Revident, although Revident gave longer-lasting improvements than Flex Barrier. Further trials are needed to optimize multiple-application protocols for treating gingival black triangles.

Structural Variation and Microrheological Properties of a Homogeneous Polysaccharide from Wheat Germ

A novel polysaccharide (WGP) was purified from crude wheat germ polysaccharide by Sephacryl S-500HRgel filtration. The molecular weight of WGP was determined as 4.89 × 10⁶ Da and consisted of arabinose, xylose, glucose, and galactose. Methylation analysis and 1D/2D nuclear magnetic resonance was used to analyze the structural characterization of WGP. WGP was mainly a backbone composed of (1 → 4)-linked-β-d-Xylp (19.01%) and (1 → 3, 4)-linked-β-d-Xylp (26.27%) residues, which was branched of (1 → 5)-linked α-l-Araf (28.09%) and (1 → 3,6)-linked β-d-Galp (12.11%) with β-d-Glcp (14.52%) as terminal unit. The calculated values of Turbiscan stability indexes suggested that WGP (0.1-0.5 mg/mL) is a stable system. Microrheology results showed that WGP can form gel behavior when the concentration of WGP ranges from 0.1 to 3 mg/mL. Results of in vitro assays showed that WGP could cause the proliferation of RAW264.7 macrophages, upregulating the release of TNF-α and IL-8 in the lymphocytes.

Wheat germ agglutinin-induced paraptosis-like cell death and protective autophagy is mediated by autophagy-linked FYVE inhibition

Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) is a lectin that specifically binds cell surface glycoproteins and disrupts nuclear pore complex function through its interaction with POM121. Our data indicate WGA induces paraptosis-like cell death without caspase activation. We observed the main features of paraptosis, including cytoplasmic vacuolation, endoplasmic reticulum dilation and increased ER stress, and the unfolded protein response in WGA-treated cervical carcinoma cells. Conversion of microtubule-associated protein I light chain 3 (LC3-I) into LC3-II and punctuate formation suggestive of autophagy were observed in WGA-treated cells. WGA-induced autophagy antagonized paraptosis in HeLa and CaSKi cells, which expressed autophagy-linked FYVE (Alfy) protein, but not in SiHa cells that did not express Alfy. Alfy knockdown in HeLa cells induced paraptosis-like cell death. These data indicate that WGA-induced cell death occurs through paraptosis and that autophagy may exert a protective effect. WGA treatment and Alfy inhibition could be an effective therapeutic strategy for apoptosis-resistant cervical cancer cells.