Biodistribution of liposomes and C3 fragments associated with liposomes: evaluation of their relationship

Effect of liposome surface modification with water-soluble phospholipid polymer chain-conjugated lipids on interaction with human plasma proteins

Alternative liposome surface coatings for PEGylation to evade the immune system, particularly the complement system, have garnered significant interest. We previously reported poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (MPC)-based lipids (PMPC-lipids) and investigated the surface modification of liposomes. In this study, we synthesize PMPC-lipids with polymerization degrees of 10 (MPC10-lipid), 20 (MPC20-lipid), 50 (MPC50-lipid), and 100 (MPC100-lipid), and coated liposomes with 1, 5, or 10 mol% PMPC-lipids (PMPC-liposomes). Non-modified and PEGylated liposomes are used as controls. We investigate the liposome size, surface charge, polydispersity index, and adsorption of plasma proteins to the liposomes post incubation in human plasma containing N,N,N',N'-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) or lepirudin by some methods such as sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), western blotting, and automated capillary western blot, with emphasis on the binding of complement protein C3. It is shown that the coating of liposome PMPC-lipids can suppress protein adsorption more effectively with an increase in the molecular weight and molar ratio (1-10 mol%). Apolipoprotein A-I is detected on PMPC-liposomes with a higher molecular weight and higher molar ratio of PMPC-lipids, whereas α₂-macroglobulin is detected on non-modified, PEGylated, and PMPC-liposomes with a shorter polymer chain. In addition, a correlation is shown among the PMPC molecular weight, molar ratio, and C3 binding. The MPC10-lipid cannot inhibit C3 binding efficiently, whereas surface modifications with 10 mol% MPC20-lipid and 5 mol% and 10 mol% MPC50-lipid suppress both total protein and C3 binding. Hence, liposome modification with PMPC-lipids can be a possible strategy for avoiding complement activation.

Synthesis of poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine)-conjugated lipids and their characterization and surface properties of modified liposomes for protein interactions

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is frequently used for liposomal surface modification. However, as PEGylated liposomes are cleared rapidly from circulation upon repeated injections, substitutes of PEG are being sought. We focused on a water-soluble polymer composed of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) units, and synthesized poly(MPC) (PMPC)-conjugated lipid (PMPC-lipid) with degrees of MPC polymerization ranging from 10 to 100 (calculated molecular weight: 3 to 30 kDa). In addition, lipids with three different alkyl chains, myristoyl, palmitoyl, and stearoyl, were applied for liposomal surface coating. We studied the interactions of PMPC-lipids with plasma albumin, human complement protein C3 and fibrinogen using a quartz crystal microbalance with energy dissipation, and found that adsorption of albumin, C3 and fibrinogen could be suppressed by coating with PMPC-lipids. In particular, the effect was more pronounced for PMPC chains with higher molecular weight. We evaluated the size, polydispersity index, surface charge, and membrane fluidity of the PMPC-lipid-modified liposomes. We found that the effect of the coating on the dispersion stability was maintained over a long period (98 days). Furthermore, we also demonstrated that the anti-PEG antibody did not interact with PMPC-lipids. Thus, our findings suggest that PMPC-lipids can be used for liposomal coating.

Immunological and Toxicological Considerations for the Design of Liposomes

Liposomes hold great potential as gene and drug delivery vehicles due to their biocompatibility and modular properties, coupled with the major advantage of attenuating the risk of systemic toxicity from the encapsulated therapeutic agent. Decades of research have been dedicated to studying and optimizing liposomal formulations for a variety of medical applications, ranging from cancer therapeutics to analgesics. Some effort has also been made to elucidate the toxicities and immune responses that these drug formulations may elicit. Notably, intravenously injected liposomes can interact with plasma proteins, leading to opsonization, thereby altering the healthy cells they come into contact with during circulation and removal. Additionally, due to the pharmacokinetics of liposomes in circulation, drugs can end up sequestered in organs of the mononuclear phagocyte system, affecting liver and spleen function. Importantly, liposomal agents can also stimulate or suppress the immune system depending on their physiochemical properties, such as size, lipid composition, pegylation, and surface charge. Despite the surge in the clinical use of liposomal agents since 1995, there are still several drawbacks that limit their range of applications. This review presents a focused analysis of these limitations, with an emphasis on toxicity to healthy tissues and unfavorable immune responses, to shed light on key considerations that should be factored into the design and clinical use of liposomal formulations.

Biodistribution, Clearance, and Long-Term Fate of Clinically Relevant Nanomaterials

Realization of the immense potential of nanomaterials for biomedical applications will require a thorough understanding of how they interact with cells, tissues, and organs. There is evidence that, depending on their physicochemical properties and subsequent interactions, nanomaterials are indeed taken up by cells. However, the subsequent release and/or intracellular degradation of the materials, transfer to other cells, and/or translocation across tissue barriers are still poorly understood. The involvement of these cellular clearance mechanisms strongly influences the long-term fate of used nanomaterials, especially if one also considers repeated exposure. Several nanomaterials, such as liposomes and iron oxide, gold, or silica nanoparticles, are already approved by the American Food and Drug Administration for clinical trials; however, there is still a huge gap of knowledge concerning their fate in the body. Herein, clinically relevant nanomaterials, their possible modes of exposure, as well as the biological barriers they must overcome to be effective are reviewed. Furthermore, the biodistribution and kinetics of nanomaterials and their modes of clearance are discussed, knowledge of the long-term fates of a selection of nanomaterials is summarized, and the critical points that must be considered for future research are addressed.

Unintended effects of drug carriers: Big issues of small particles

Humoral and cellular host defense mechanisms including diverse phagocytes, leukocytes, and immune cells have evolved over millions of years to protect the body from microbes and other external and internal threats. These policing forces recognize engineered sub-micron drug delivery systems (DDS) as such a threat, and react accordingly. This leads to impediment of the therapeutic action, extensively studied and discussed in the literature. Here, we focus on side effects of DDS interactions with host defenses. We argue that for nanomedicine to reach its clinical potential, the field must redouble its efforts in understanding the interaction between drug delivery systems and the host defenses, so that we can engineer safer interventions with the greatest potential for clinical success.

Liposome Opsonization

Adsorption of serum proteins to the liposomal surface plays a critical role in the clearance of liposomes from the blood circulation. In this review, we will discuss the role of the liposomal opsonins proposed so far in liposome clearance. Additional, related topics that will be addressed are the cell-surface receptors that might be involved in liposome elimination from the blood compartment and the effect of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) modification on prevention of liposome opsonization.

Physicochemical characterization and study of in vitro interactions of pH-sensitive liposomes with the complement system

Complement activation is an important step in the acceleration of liposome clearance. The anaphylatoxins released following complement activation may motivate a wide variety of physiologic changes. We performed physicochemical characterization and in vitro studies of the interaction of complement system with both noncirculating and long-circulating pH-sensitive and nonpH-sensitive liposomes. The liposomes were characterized by diameter, zeta potential, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The study of liposome interactions with complement system was conducted using hemolytic assay in rat serum. All liposomes presented a similar mean diameter (between 99.8 and 124.3 nm). The zeta potential was negative in all liposome preparations, except in liposomes modified with aminopoly (ethyleneglycol) 2000-distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (aPEG(2000)-DSPE), which presented positive zeta potential. Atomic force microscopy images showed that non-long-circulating pH-sensitive liposomes are prone to vesicles aggregation. Non-pH-sensitive liposomes complement system activates, while pH-sensitive liposomes showed to be poor complement activators in rat serum.

[Accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon induced by administration of PEGylated liposome]

PEGylated liposomes (approximately 100 nm in diameter) lose their long-circulating characteristic upon repeated injection at certain intervals in the same animal (referred to as the "accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon"), as described by our group and by researchers in the Netherlands. Recently, it was demonstrated by our group that anti-PEG IgM, induced by the first dose of PEGylated liposomes, is responsible for the ABC phenomenon. The IgM produced in this manner then selectively bound to the surface of subsequently injected PEGylated liposomes, leading to substantial complement activation. It is generally believed that nanocarriers coated with a polymer, such as PEG, have no immunogenicity. However, unexpected immune responses occurred even in response to polymer-coated liposomes. This immunogenicity to PEGylated liposomes presents a serious concern in the development and clinical use of liposomal formulations. In this review, we demonstrate our recent observations regarding with the ABC phenomenon against liposomes.

Time-dependent changes in opsonin amount associated on nanoparticles alter their hepatic uptake characteristics

The relationship between the time-dependent change in serum proteins adsorbed on nanoparticles and their disposition to the liver was investigated by employing lecithin-coated polystyrene nanosphere with a size of 50 nm (LNS-50) as a model nanoparticle in rats. The total amount of proteins adsorbed on LNS-50 increased and the qualitative profile of serum proteins adsorbed on LNS-50 changed during the incubation with serum up to 360 min. The liver perfusion study indicated that the hepatic uptake of LNS-50 incubated with serum for 360 min was significantly larger than those of LNS-50 incubated for shorter period. It was suggested that the increase in the hepatic uptake of LNS-50 with the increase in incubation time would be ascribed mainly to the increase in the opsonin-mediated uptake by Kupffer cells. Semi-quantification of major opsonins, complement C3 (C3) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), and in vitro uptake study in primary cultured Kupffer cells demonstrated that the increase in C3 and IgG amounts adsorbed on LNS-50 was directly reflected in the increased disposition of LNS-50 to Kupffer cells. These results indicate that the amounts of opsonins associated on nanoparticles would change over time and this process would be substantially reflected in the alteration of their hepatic disposition characteristics.

Influence of the physicochemical properties of liposomes on the accelerated blood clearance phenomenon in rats

We have recently reported that PEGylated liposomes (PL) are cleared rapidly from the blood circulation when they are administered twice in the same rat at certain intervals, even if the liposomes are sterically stabilized by a surface modification with PEG (referred to as the accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon, J. Control. Release, 88, 35-42 (2003)). Now we report on the influence of physicochemical properties (PEG-modification, size and surface charge) of either the first or the second dose of liposomes on the ABC phenomenon. When, for the first dose, conventional liposomes (CL; without a PEG coating) of 110-nm diameter were injected, only a very slight ABC phenomenon was observed, irrespective of the liposomal surface charge: both clearance rate and hepatic accumulation of the second injected PL were only slightly enhanced compared to those of a single dose of PL. Interestingly, when for the first injection small-size liposomes (60 nm) were used, either charged or PEG-modified, but not neutral, the ABC phenomenon was clearly manifest. Apparently, the induction of the ABC phenomenon is not only determined by the PEG coating but also by the size and surface charge of the first dose of liposomes. Also when for the second dose small-size PEGylated liposomes were used, the ABC phenomenon was observed after induction by a first injection of PL, whereas plasma kinetics and organ uptake of a second dose of negatively charged CL (NCL, 110 nm) or small-sized NCL (SNCL, 60 nm) were not altered. Apparently, the PEG coating on the second dose is essential for the liposomes to be susceptible to the ABC phenomenon. The results reported here suggest that the physicochemical properties of both the first and second dose of liposomes are important either for the induction of the phenomenon or for its expression. Our observations may have a considerable impact on the clinical application and engineering of liposomal formulations for use in multiple drug therapy.

Accelerated clearance of a second injection of PEGylated liposomes in mice

We recently reported that the firstly injected PEGylated liposomes dramatically affected the rate of blood clearance of secondly injected PEGylated liposomes in rats in a time interval of injection dependent manner [J. Control. Release (2003)]. Mice are frequently used in evaluations of the therapeutic efficacy of PEGylated liposomal formulations, but the pharmacokinetics of repeatedly injected PEGylated liposomes in mice is not fully understood. In this study, therefore, we examined in mice the effect of the repeated injection of PEGylated liposomes on their pharmacokinetics. An intravenous pretreatment with PEGylated liposomes produced a striking change in the biodistribution of the second dose which was given several days after the first injection. The first dose resulted in a reduction in the circulation half-life of the second dose. The degree of alteration was dependent on the time interval between the injections. The rapid clearance of the second dose was strongly related to hepatic clearance (CLh). This finding suggests that a considerable increase in hepatic accumulation accounts for this phenomenon. But, no liver injury or an increase in the number of Kupffer cells were detected in histopathological evaluations. Collectively, although the multiple injections of the PEGylated liposomes had no obvious physical effects, such as inflammation, their pharmacokinetic behavior was clearly altered in mice. The results obtained here have important implications not only with respect to the design and engineering of liposomes for human use, but for evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of liposomal formulations in experimental animal models as well.

Species difference in correlation between in vivo/in vitro liposome-complement interactions

The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between in vitro and in vivo liposome-complement interactions. Third component of the complement (C3) fragments associated with hydrogenated egg phosphatidylcholine (HEPC)-based liposomes in vivo and complement-dependent destabilization in vitro were determined as an indication of liposome-complement interaction in vivo and in vitro, respectively. C3 fragments on the liposomes were detected in both rats and guinea pigs. Pretreatment with K76COOH (K76), a complement inactivating agent, reduced the binding of C3 fragments. These findings indicated that the liposomes remarkably activated the complement system in both animals in vivo. Interestingly, significant complement-dependent liposome destabilization was observed in rat serum, but not in guinea pig serum, indicating that the liposomes activated the complement system in rats, but not in guinea pigs in vitro. Taken together, it is apparent that in vitro complement activation by the liposomes is not in agreement with in vivo complement activation in ginea pigs. This discrepancy in the liposome-complement interaction would suggest the need for further investigation to utilize the information obtained from the liposome-complement interaction to predict in vivo behavior of the liposomes.

The complement system enhances the clearance of phosphatidylserine (PS)-liposomes in rat and guinea pig

In this study, we investigated the contribution of the complement system to the biodistribution of phosphatidylserine (PS)-containing liposomes in rat and guinea pig. It appeared that the inclusion of PS in the liposome formulation accelerates the rate of liposome uptake by liver, resulting in rapid elimination of the liposomes from blood circulation. Pretreatment with K76COOH (K76), an anti-complement agent, decreased the rapid uptake of PS-containing liposomes by guinea pig liver, resulting in increasing blood concentration of the liposomes. Significant complement-dependent liposome destabilization was observed in vitro in both animals, whereas the complement-dependent destabilization in vivo was likely only a part of the process of the clearance of the PS-containing liposomes. This discrepancy suggests that the rate of complement-dependent liposome uptake by liver is much faster than the rate of complement-dependent liposome destabilization in vivo. Pretreatment of K76 dramatically inhibited the binding of C3 fragments, one of dominant opsonins, to PS-containing liposomes in guinea pig under both in vivo and in vitro conditions. This finding suggests that the C3 fragments in the system are responsible for the clearance of the PS-containing liposomes in guinea pig. In rat, in contrast to guinea pig, in vivo binding of C3 fragments was not inhibited by K76-pretreatment, while in vitro binding was inhibited. This discrepancy may be due to different experimental conditions between in vitro and in vivo assay. Nevertheless, based on the observations in this study, the complement components are most likely involved in the clearance of the PS-containing liposomes in rat. Taken together, the activity of PS in enhancing the liposome clearance appears to be mediated by the complement components, presumably C3 fragments, in both guinea pig and rat. This is a first report showing the mechanism on the hepatic uptake of the PS-containing liposomes in guinea pig.