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Xiang K, Li Y, Cong H, Yu B, Shen Y. Peptide-based non-viral gene delivery: A comprehensive review of the advances and challenges. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 266:131194. [PMID: 38554914 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131194] [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] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Gene therapy is the most effective treatment option for diseases, but its effectiveness is affected by the choice and design of gene carriers. The genes themselves have to pass through multiple barriers in order to enter the cell and therefore require additional vectors to carry them inside the cell. In gene therapy, peptides have unique properties and potential as gene carriers, which can effectively deliver genes into specific cells or tissues, protect genes from degradation, improve gene transfection efficiency, and enhance gene targeting and biological responsiveness. This paper reviews the research progress of peptides and their derivatives in the field of gene delivery recently, describes the obstacles encountered by foreign materials to enter the interior of the cell, and introduces the following classes of functional peptides that can carry materials into the interior of the cell, and assist in transmembrane translocation of carriers, thus breaking through endosomal traps to enable successful entry of genetic materials into the nucleus of the cell. The paper also discusses the combined application of peptide vectors with other vectors to enhance its transfection ability, explores current challenges encountered by peptide vectors, and looks forward to future developments in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Xiang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Yanan Li
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Hailin Cong
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China.
| | - Bing Yu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.
| | - Youqing Shen
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Center for Bio nanoengineering, and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
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2
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Borisova B, Vladimirova S, Nocheva H, Laronze-Cochard M, Gérard S, Petrin S, Danalev D. Synthesis, Hydrolytic Stability and In Vivo Biological Study of Bioconjugates of the Tetrapeptides FELL Containing Pyrrole Moiety. Biomedicines 2023; 11:3265. [PMID: 38137486 PMCID: PMC10740831 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11123265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bioconjugates are promising alternatives for the multiple targeting of any disease. Pyrrole heterocycle is well known with many activities and is a building block of a lot of medical drugs. On the other hand, peptides are short molecules with many advantages such as small size, ability to penetrate the cell membrane and bond-specific receptors, vectorizing potential, etc. Thus, hybrid molecules between peptide and pyrrole moiety could be a promising alternative as an anti-pain tool. METHODS New bioconjugates with a general formula Pyrrole (α-/β-acid)-FELL-OH (NH2) were synthesized using Fmoc/OtBu peptide synthesis on solid support. HPLC was used to monitor the purity of newly synthesized bioconjugates. Their structures were proven by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The Paw Pressure test (Randall-Selitto test) was used to examinate the analgesic activity. Hydrolytic stability of targeted structures was monitored in three model systems with pH 2.0, 7.4 and 9.0, including specific enzymes by means of the HPLC-UV method. RESULTS The obtained results reveal that all newly synthesized bioconjugates have analgesic activity according to the used test but free pyrrole acids have the best analgesic activity. CONCLUSIONS Although free pyrrole acids showed the best analgesic activity, they are the most unstable for hydrolysis. Combination with peptide structure leads to the hydrolytic stabilization of the bioconjugates, albeit with slightly reduced activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boryana Borisova
- Biotechnology Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd, 1756 Sofia, Bulgaria; (B.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Stanislava Vladimirova
- Organic Synthesis Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd, 1756 Sofia, Bulgaria;
| | - Hristina Nocheva
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University-Sofia, Sv. Georgi Sofiyski Blvd 1, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria;
| | - Marie Laronze-Cochard
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de Reims (ICMR)—UMR CNRS 7312, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, UFR Pharmacie, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51100 Reims, France; (M.L.-C.); (S.G.)
| | - Stéphane Gérard
- Institut de Chimie Moléculaire de Reims (ICMR)—UMR CNRS 7312, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, UFR Pharmacie, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, 51100 Reims, France; (M.L.-C.); (S.G.)
| | - Stoyko Petrin
- Biotechnology Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd, 1756 Sofia, Bulgaria; (B.B.); (S.P.)
| | - Dancho Danalev
- Biotechnology Department, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kliment Ohridski Blvd, 1756 Sofia, Bulgaria; (B.B.); (S.P.)
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3
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Casper J, Schenk SH, Parhizkar E, Detampel P, Dehshahri A, Huwyler J. Polyethylenimine (PEI) in gene therapy: Current status and clinical applications. J Control Release 2023; 362:667-691. [PMID: 37666302 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Polyethlyenimine (PEI) was introduced 1995 as a cationic polymer for nucleic acid delivery. PEI and its derivatives are extensively used in basic research and as reference formulations in the field of polymer-based gene delivery. Despite its widespread use, the number of clinical applications to date is limited. Thus, this review aims to consolidate the past applications of PEI in DNA delivery, elucidate the obstacles that hinder its transition to clinical use, and highlight potential prospects for novel iterations of PEI derivatives. The present review article is divided into three sections. The first section examines the mechanism of action employed by PEI, examining fundamental aspects of cellular delivery including uptake mechanisms, release from endosomes, and transport into the cell nucleus, along with potential strategies for enhancing these delivery phases. Moreover, an in-depth analysis is conducted concerning the mechanism underlying cellular toxicity, accompanied with approaches to overcome this major challenge. The second part is devoted to the in vivo performance of PEI and its application in various therapeutic indications. While systemic administration has proven to be challenging, alternative localized delivery routes hold promise, such as treatment of solid tumors, application as a vaccine, or serving as a therapeutic agent for pulmonary delivery. In the last section, the outcome of completed and ongoing clinical trials is summarized. Finally, an expert opinion is provided on the potential of PEI and its future applications. PEI-based formulations for nucleic acid delivery have a promising potential, it will be an important task for the years to come to introduce innovations that address PEI-associated shortcomings by introducing well-designed PEI formulations in combination with an appropriate route of administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Casper
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Susanne H Schenk
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elahehnaz Parhizkar
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Pascal Detampel
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ali Dehshahri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Jörg Huwyler
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
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4
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Wickline SA, Hou KK, Pan H. Peptide-Based Nanoparticles for Systemic Extrahepatic Delivery of Therapeutic Nucleotides. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119455. [PMID: 37298407 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based nanoparticles (PBN) for nucleotide complexation and targeting of extrahepatic diseases are gaining recognition as potent pharmaceutical vehicles for fine-tuned control of protein production (up- and/or down-regulation) and for gene delivery. Herein, we review the principles and mechanisms underpinning self-assembled formation of PBN, cellular uptake, endosomal release, and delivery to extrahepatic disease sites after systemic administration. Selected examples of PBN that have demonstrated recent proof of concept in disease models in vivo are summarized to offer the reader a comparative view of the field and the possibilities for clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Wickline
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33602, USA
| | - Kirk K Hou
- Department of Ophthalmology, Stein and Doheny Eye Institutes, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Hua Pan
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
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5
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Laniel A, Marouseau É, Nguyen DT, Froehlich U, McCartney C, Boudreault PL, Lavoie C. Characterization of PGua 4, a Guanidinium-Rich Peptoid that Delivers IgGs to the Cytosol via Macropinocytosis. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:1577-1590. [PMID: 36781165 PMCID: PMC9997486 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
To investigate the structure-cellular penetration relationship of guanidinium-rich transporters (GRTs), we previously designed PGua4, a five-amino acid peptoid containing a conformationally restricted pattern of eight guanidines, which showed high cell-penetrating abilities and low cell toxicity. Herein, we characterized the cellular uptake selectivity, internalization pathway, and intracellular distribution of PGua4, as well as its capacity to deliver cargo. PGua4 exhibits higher penetration efficiency in HeLa cells than in six other cell lines (A549, Caco-2, fibroblast, HEK293, Mia-PaCa2, and MCF7) and is mainly internalized by clathrin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis. Confocal microscopy showed that it remained trapped in endosomes at low concentrations but induced pH-dependent endosomal membrane destabilization at concentrations ≥10 μM, allowing its diffusion into the cytoplasm. Importantly, PGua4 significantly enhanced macropinocytosis and the cellular uptake and cytosolic delivery of large IgGs following noncovalent complexation. Therefore, in addition to its peptoid nature conferring high resistance to proteolysis, PGua4 presents characteristics of a promising tool for IgG delivery and therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréanne Laniel
- Institut de Pharmacologie
de Sherbrooke, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty
of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Étienne Marouseau
- Institut de Pharmacologie
de Sherbrooke, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty
of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Duc Tai Nguyen
- Institut de Pharmacologie
de Sherbrooke, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty
of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Ulrike Froehlich
- Institut de Pharmacologie
de Sherbrooke, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty
of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Claire McCartney
- Institut de Pharmacologie
de Sherbrooke, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty
of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Pierre-Luc Boudreault
- Institut de Pharmacologie
de Sherbrooke, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty
of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Christine Lavoie
- Institut de Pharmacologie
de Sherbrooke, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty
of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université
de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 5N4, Canada
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6
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Ahmad A, Khan JM. pH-sensitive endosomolytic peptides in gene and drug delivery: Endosomal escape and current challenges. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jddst.2022.103786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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7
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Parrasia S, Szabò I, Zoratti M, Biasutto L. Peptides as Pharmacological Carriers to the Brain: Promises, Shortcomings and Challenges. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:3700-3729. [PMID: 36174227 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) diseases are among the most difficult to treat, mainly because the vast majority of the drugs fail to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) or to reach the brain at concentrations adequate to exert a pharmacological activity. The obstacle posed by the BBB has led to the in-depth study of strategies allowing the brain delivery of CNS-active drugs. Among the most promising strategies is the use of peptides addressed to the BBB. Peptides are versatile molecules that can be used to decorate nanoparticles or can be conjugated to drugs, with either a stable link or as pro-drugs. They have been used to deliver to the brain both small molecules and proteins, with applications in diverse therapeutic areas such as brain cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and imaging. Peptides can be generally classified as receptor-targeted, recognizing membrane proteins expressed by the BBB microvessels (e.g., Angiopep2, CDX, and iRGD), "cell-penetrating peptides" (CPPs; e.g. TAT47-57, SynB1/3, and Penetratin), undergoing transcytosis through unspecific mechanisms, or those exploiting a mixed approach. The advantages of peptides have been extensively pointed out, but so far few studies have focused on the potential negative aspects. Indeed, despite having a generally good safety profile, some peptide conjugates may display toxicological characteristics distinct from those of the peptide itself, causing for instance antigenicity, cardiovascular alterations or hemolysis. Other shortcomings are the often brief lifetime in vivo, caused by the presence of peptidases, the vulnerability to endosomal/lysosomal degradation, and the frequently still insufficient attainable increase of brain drug levels, which remain below the therapeutically useful concentrations. The aim of this review is to analyze not only the successful and promising aspects of the use of peptides in brain targeting but also the problems posed by this strategy for drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Parrasia
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Ildikò Szabò
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Mario Zoratti
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35131 Padova, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Lucia Biasutto
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35131 Padova, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35131 Padova, Italy
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8
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Pei P, Chen L, Fan R, Zhou XR, Feng S, Liu H, Guo Q, Yin H, Zhang Q, Sun F, Peng L, Wei P, He C, Qiao R, Wang Z, Luo SZ. Computer-Aided Design of Lasso-like Self-Assembling Anticancer Peptides with Multiple Functions for Targeted Self-Delivery and Cancer Treatments. ACS NANO 2022; 16:13783-13799. [PMID: 36099446 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c01014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anticancer peptides are promising drug candidates for cancer treatment, but the short circulation time and low delivery efficiency limit their clinical applications. Herein, we designed several lasso-like self-assembling anticancer peptides (LASAPs) integrated with multiple functions by a computer-aided approach. Among these LASAPs, LASAP1 (CRGDKGPDCGKAFRRFLGALFKALSHLL, 1-9 disulfide bond) was determined to be superior to the others because it can self-assemble into homogeneous nanoparticles and exhibits improved stability in serum. Thus, LASAP1 was chosen for proving the design idea. LASAP1 can self-assemble into nanoparticles displaying iRGD on the surface because of its amphiphilic structure and accumulate to the tumor site after injection because of the EPR effect and iRGD targeting to αVβ3 integrin. The nanoparticles could disassemble in the acidic microenvironment of the solid tumor, and cleaved by the overexpressed hK2, which was secreted by prostate tumor cells, to release the effector peptide PTP-7b (FLGALFKALSHLL), which was further activated by the acidic pH. Therefore, LASAP1 could target the orthotopic prostate tumor in the model mice after intraperitoneal injection and specifically inhibit tumor growth, with low systematic toxicity. Combining the multiple targeting functions, LASAP1 represents a promising design of self-delivery of peptide drugs for targeted cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Pei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Long Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Ruru Fan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Xi-Rui Zhou
- Division of Metrology in Chemistry, National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Shan Feng
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| | - Hangrui Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Quanqiang Guo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Huiwei Yin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Fude Sun
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Liang Peng
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Peng Wei
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Chengzhi He
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Renzhong Qiao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Zai Wang
- Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
| | - Shi-Zhong Luo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, P.R. China
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Design of Smart Nanodiamonds: Introducing pH Sensitivity to Improve Nucleic Acid Carrier Efficiency of Diamoplexes. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14091794. [PMID: 36145542 PMCID: PMC9501119 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14091794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of cellular uptake and intracellular fate of nanodiamond/nucleic acid complexes (diamoplexes) are major determinants of its performance as a gene carrier. Our group designed lysine-nanodiamonds (K-NDs) as vectors for nucleic acid delivery. In this work, we modified the surface of K-NDs with histidine to overcome endo-lysosomal entrapment diamoplexes, the major rate limiting step in gene transfer. Histidine is conjugated onto the NDs in two configurations: lysyl-histidine-NDs (HK-NDs) where histidine is loaded on 100% of the lysine moieties and lysine/lysyl-histidine-NDs (H50K50-NDs) where histidine is loaded on 50% of the lysine moieties. Both HK-NDs and H50K50-NDs maintained the optimum size distribution (i.e., <200 nm) and a cationic surface (zeta potential > 20 mV), similar to K-NDs. HK-NDs binds plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (pDNA) and small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) forming diamoplexes at mass ratios of 10:1 and 60:1, respectively. H50K50-NDs significantly improved nucleic acid binding, forming diamoplexes at a 2:1 mass ratio with pDNA and a 30:1 mass ratio with siRNA, which are at values similar to the K-NDs. The amount of histidine on the surface also impacted the interactions with mammalian cells. The HK-NDs reduced the cell viability by 30% at therapeutic concentrations, while H50K50-NDs maintained more than 90% cell viability, even at the highest concentrations. H50K50-NDs also showed highest cellular uptake within 24 h, followed by K-NDs and HK-NDs. Most functionalized NDs show cellular exit after 5 days, leaving less than 10% of cells with internalized diamonds. The addition of histidine to the ND resulted in higher transfection of anti-green fluorescent protein siRNA (anti-GFP siRNA) with the fraction of GFP knockdown being 0.8 vs. 0.6 for K-NDs at a mass ratio of 50:1. H50K50-NDs further improved transfection by achieving a similar fraction of GFP knockdown (0.8) at a lower mass ratio of 30:1. Overall, this study provides evidence that the addition of histidine, a pH-modulating entity in the functionalization design at an optimized ratio, renders high efficiency to the diamoplexes. Further studies will elucidate the uptake mechanism and intracellular fate to build the relationship between physicochemical characteristics and biological efficacy and create a platform for solid-core nanoparticle-based gene delivery.
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10
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Peptide-Mediated Targeted Delivery of Aloe-Emodin as Anticancer Drug. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27144615. [PMID: 35889487 PMCID: PMC9320513 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most diffuse cancers in the world and despite the availability of the different drugs employed against it, the need for new and particularly more specific molecules is ever growing. In this framework, natural products are increasingly assuming an important role as new anticancer drugs. Aloe-emodin (AE) is one of the best characterized molecules in this field. The functionalization of bioactive natural products with selected peptide sequences to enhance their bioavailability and specificity of action is a powerful and promising strategy. In this study, we analyzed the cell specificity, cell viability effects, intracellular distribution, and immune cell response of a new peptide conjugate of Aloe-emodin in SKBR3 and A549 cell lines by means of viability tests, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy. The conjugate proved to be more effective at reducing cell viability than AE in both cell lines. Furthermore, the results showed that it was mainly internalized within the SKBR3 cells, showing a nuclear localization, while A459 cells displayed mainly a cytoplasmic distribution. A preserving effect of the conjugate on NKs’ cell function was also observed. The designed conjugate showed a promising specific activity towards HER2-expressing cells coupled with an enhanced water solubility and a higher cytotoxicity; thus, the resulting proof-of-concept molecule can be further improved as an anticancer compound.
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11
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Glymenaki E, Kandyli M, Apostolidou CP, Kokotidou C, Charalambidis G, Nikoloudakis E, Panagiotakis S, Koutserinaki E, Klontza V, Michail P, Charisiadis A, Yannakopoulou K, Mitraki A, Coutsolelos AG. Design and Synthesis of Porphyrin-Nitrilotriacetic Acid Dyads with Potential Applications in Peptide Labeling through Metallochelate Coupling. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:1803-1818. [PMID: 35071874 PMCID: PMC8771699 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The need to detect and monitor biomolecules, especially within cells, has led to the emerging growth of fluorescent probes. One of the most commonly used labeling techniques for this purpose is reversible metallochelate coupling via a nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) moiety. In this study, we focus on the synthesis and characterization of three new porphyrin-NTA dyads, TPP-Lys-NTA, TPP-CC-Lys-NTA, and Py 3 P-Lys-NTA composed of a porphyrin derivative covalently connected with a modified nitrilotriacetic acid chelate ligand (NTA), for possible metallochelate coupling with Ni2+ ions and histidine sequences. Emission spectroscopy studies revealed that all of the probes are able to coordinate with Ni2+ ions and consequently can be applied as fluorophores in protein/peptide labeling applications. Using two different histidine-containing peptides as His6-tag mimic, we demonstrated that the porphyrin-NTA hybrids are able to coordinate efficiently with the peptides through the metallochelate coupling process. Moving one step forward, we examined the ability of these porphyrin-peptide complexes to penetrate and accumulate in cancer cells, exploring the potential utilization of our system as anticancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Glymenaki
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Maria Kandyli
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Chrysanthi Pinelopi Apostolidou
- Department
of Materials Science and Technology and Institute of Electronic Structure
and Laser (I.E.S.L.), Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas
(FO.R.T.H.), University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Chrysoula Kokotidou
- Department
of Materials Science and Technology and Institute of Electronic Structure
and Laser (I.E.S.L.), Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas
(FO.R.T.H.), University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Georgios Charalambidis
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Emmanouil Nikoloudakis
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Stylianos Panagiotakis
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
- Institute
of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National
Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, Attiki 15341, Greece
| | - Eleftheria Koutserinaki
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Vithleem Klontza
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Panagiota Michail
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Asterios Charisiadis
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Konstantina Yannakopoulou
- Institute
of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National
Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, Attiki 15341, Greece
| | - Anna Mitraki
- Department
of Materials Science and Technology and Institute of Electronic Structure
and Laser (I.E.S.L.), Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas
(FO.R.T.H.), University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
| | - Athanassios G. Coutsolelos
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Crete, Laboratory
of Bioinorganic Chemistry, Voutes Campus, Heraklion 70013, Crete, Greece
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12
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Osipova O, Zakharova N, Pyankov I, Egorova A, Kislova A, Lavrentieva A, Kiselev A, Tennikova T, Korzhikova-Vlakh E. Amphiphilic pH-Sensitive polypeptides for siRNA delivery. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jddst.2022.103135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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13
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Ali S, Dussouillez C, Padilla B, Frisch B, Mason AJ, Kichler A. Design of a new cell penetrating peptide for DNA, siRNA and mRNA delivery. J Gene Med 2021; 24:e3401. [PMID: 34856643 DOI: 10.1002/jgm.3401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Delivery systems, including peptide-based ones, that destabilize endosomes in a pH-dependent manner are increasingly used to deliver cargoes of therapeutic interest, such as nucleic acids and proteins into mammalian cells. METHODS The negatively charged amphipathic alpha-helicoidal forming peptide named HELP (Helical Erythrocyte Lysing Peptide) is a derivative from the bee venom melittin and was shown to have a pH-dependent activity with the highest lytic activity at pH 5.0 at the same time as becoming inactive when the pH is increased. The present study aimed to determine whether replacement in the HELP peptide of the glutamic acid residues by histidines, for which the protonation state is sensitive to the pH changes that occur during endosomal acidification, can transform this fusogenic peptide into a carrier able to deliver different nucleic acids into mammalian cells. RESULTS The resulting HELP-4H peptide displays high plasmid DNA, small interfering RNA and mRNA delivery capabilities. Importantly, in contrast to other cationic peptides, its transfection activity was only marginally affected by the presence of serum. Using circular dichroism, we found that acidic pH did not induce significant conformational changes for HELP-4H. CONCLUSIONS In summary, we were able to develop a new cationic histidine rich peptide able to efficiently deliver various nucleic acids into cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salif Ali
- 3Bio Team, CAMB 7199 CNRS - University of Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - Candice Dussouillez
- 3Bio Team, CAMB 7199 CNRS - University of Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - Beatriz Padilla
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, London, UK
| | - Benoît Frisch
- 3Bio Team, CAMB 7199 CNRS - University of Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
| | - A James Mason
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, London, UK
| | - Antoine Kichler
- 3Bio Team, CAMB 7199 CNRS - University of Strasbourg, Faculté de Pharmacie, Illkirch, France
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14
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Chongchai A, Waramit S, Wongwichai T, Kampangtip J, Phitak T, Kongtawelert P, Hajitou A, Suwan K, Pothacharoen P. Targeting Human Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes with Ligand Directed Bacteriophage-Based Particles. Viruses 2021; 13:2343. [PMID: 34960616 PMCID: PMC8706358 DOI: 10.3390/v13122343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive deterioration and loss of articular cartilage. There is currently no treatment to reverse the onset of OA. Thus, we developed a targeted delivery strategy to transfer genes into primary human chondrocytes as a proof-of-concept study. We displayed a chondrocyte-affinity peptide (CAP) on the pIII minor coat protein of the M13 filamentous bacteriophage (phage)-based particle carrying a mammalian transgene cassette under cytomegalovirus CMV promoter and inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) cis elements of adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV-2). Primary human articular chondrocytes (HACs) were used as an in vitro model, and the selectivity and binding properties of the CAP ligand in relation to the pathogenic conditions of HACs were characterized. We found that the CAP ligand is highly selective toward pathogenic HACs. Furthermore, the stability, cytotoxicity, and gene delivery efficacy of the CAP-displaying phage (CAP.Phage) were evaluated. We found that the phage particle is stable under a wide range of temperatures and pH values, while showing no cytotoxicity to HACs. Importantly, the CAP.Phage particle, carrying a secreted luciferase (Lucia) reporter gene, efficiently and selectively delivered transgene expression to HACs. In summary, it was found that the CAP ligand preferably binds to pathogenic chondrocytes, and the CAP.Phage particle successfully targets and delivers transgene to HACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aitthiphon Chongchai
- Thailand Excellence Centre for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
- Cancer Phagotherapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Sajee Waramit
- Cancer Phagotherapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Tunchanok Wongwichai
- Thailand Excellence Centre for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Jirawan Kampangtip
- Thailand Excellence Centre for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Thanyaluck Phitak
- Thailand Excellence Centre for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Prachya Kongtawelert
- Thailand Excellence Centre for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Amin Hajitou
- Cancer Phagotherapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Keittisak Suwan
- Cancer Phagotherapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Peraphan Pothacharoen
- Thailand Excellence Centre for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
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15
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Chen X, Liu H, Li A, Ji S, Fei H. Hydrophobicity-tuned anion responsiveness underlies endosomolytic cargo delivery mediated by amphipathic vehicle peptides. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101364. [PMID: 34736897 PMCID: PMC8639468 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide conformation can change subject to environment cues. This concept also applies to many cationic amphipathic peptides (CAPs) known to have cell membrane lytic or penetrative activities. Well-conditioned CAPs can match the properties of the target membrane to support their intended biological functions, e.g., intracellular cargo delivery; however, the intricacy in such conditioning surpasses our current understanding. Here we focused on hydrophobicity, a key biophysical property that dictates the membrane activity of CAPs, and applied a structure–function strategy to evolve a template peptide for endosomolytic cargo delivery. The template was subjected to iterative adjustment to balance hydrophobicity between its N-terminal linear and C-terminal helical domains. We demonstrate that the obtained peptide, LP6, could dramatically promote cargo cell entry and facilitate cytosolic delivery of biomacromolecules such as FITC-dextran, saporin, and human IgG. Among the evolved peptide series, LP6 has low cytotoxicity and moderate hydrophobicity, exhibits maximum change in helical conformation in response to negatively charged phospholipids, and also shows an apparent aggregational behavior in response to sialic acid enrichment. These attributes of LP6 collectively indicate that its anion-responsive conformational change is a critical underlining of its endosomolytic cargo delivery capability. Our results also suggest that modulation of hydrophobicity serves as a key to the precise tuning of CAP's membrane activity for future biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nano-Bio Interface, Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China; School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Hanjie Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nano-Bio Interface, Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China; School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Ang Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nano-Bio Interface, Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China; School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Shuangshuang Ji
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nano-Bio Interface, Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China; School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Hao Fei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Nano-Bio Interface, Division of Nanobiomedicine, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, China; School of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
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16
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Zhang J, Li D, Zhang R, Peng R, Li J. Delivery of microRNA-21-sponge and pre-microRNA-122 by MS2 virus-like particles to therapeutically target hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2021; 246:2463-2472. [PMID: 34644206 DOI: 10.1177/15353702211035689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs are related to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma and can serve as potential therapeutic targets. Therapeutic strategies increasing tumor-suppressive microRNAs and reducing oncogenic microRNAs have been developed. Herein, the effects of simultaneously altering two microRNAs using MS2 virus-like particles were studied. The sequences of microRNA-21-sponge and pre-microRNA-122 were connected and cloned into a virus-like particle expression vector. Virus-like particles containing microRNA-21-sponge and pre-microRNA-122 sequences were prepared and crosslinked with a cell-specific peptide targeting hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Delivery effects were studied using RT-qPCR and functional assays to investigate the level of target mRNAs, cell toxicity, and the effects of proliferation, invasion, and migration. Virus-like particles delivered miR-21-sponge into cells, with the Ct value reaching 10 at most. The linked pre-miR-122 was processed into mature miR-122. The mRNA targets of miR-21 were derepressed as predicted and upregulated 1.2-2.8-fold, and the expression of proteins was elevated correspondingly. Proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells were inhibited by miR-21-sponge. Simultaneous delivery of miR-21-sponge and miR-122 further decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion by up to 34%, 63%, and 65%, respectively. And the combination promoted the apoptosis of HCC cells. In conclusion, delivering miR-21-sponge and miR-122 using virus-like particles modified by cell-specific peptides is an effective and convenient strategy to correct microRNA dysregulation in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and is a promising therapeutic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Zhang
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.,Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Dandan Li
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.,Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Rui Zhang
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Rongxue Peng
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
| | - Jinming Li
- National Center for Clinical Laboratories, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.,Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.,Beijing Engineering Research Center of Laboratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, P.R. China
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17
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Kardani K, Bolhassani A. Antimicrobial/anticancer peptides: bioactive molecules and therapeutic agents. Immunotherapy 2021; 13:669-684. [PMID: 33878901 DOI: 10.2217/imt-2020-0312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been known as host-defense peptides. These cationic and amphipathic peptides are relatively short (∼5-50 L-amino acids) with molecular weight less than 10 kDa. AMPs have various roles including immunomodulatory, angiogenic and antitumor activities. Anticancer peptides (ACPs) are a main subset of AMPs as a novel therapeutic approach against tumor cells. The physicochemical properties of the ACPs influence their cell penetration, stability and efficiency of targeting. Up to now, several databases and web servers for in silico prediction of AMPs/ACPs have been established prior to the lab analysis. The present review focuses on the recent advancement about AMPs/ACPs activities including their in silico prediction by computational tools and their potential applications as therapeutic agents especially in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimia Kardani
- Department of Hepatitis & AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.,Iranian Comprehensive Hemophilia Care Center, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis & AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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18
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Dastpeyman M, Karas JA, Amin A, Turner BJ, Shabanpoor F. Modular Synthesis of Trifunctional Peptide-oligonucleotide Conjugates via Native Chemical Ligation. Front Chem 2021; 9:627329. [PMID: 33738276 PMCID: PMC7962911 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.627329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are being increasingly used as efficient vectors for intracellular delivery of biologically active agents, such as therapeutic antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). Unfortunately, ASOs have poor cell membrane permeability. The conjugation of ASOs to CPPs have been shown to significantly improve their cellular permeability and therapeutic efficacy. CPPs are often covalently conjugated to ASOs through a variety of chemical linkages. Most of the reported approaches for ligation of CPPs to ASOs relies on methodologies that forms non-native bond due to incompatibility with in-solution phase conjugation. These approaches have low efficiency and poor yields. Therefore, in this study, we have exploited native chemical ligation (NCL) as an efficient strategy for synthesizing CPP-ASO conjugates. A previously characterized CPP [ApoE(133-150)] was used to conjugate to a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) sequence targeting human survival motor neuron-2 (SMN2) mRNA which has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy. The synthesis of ApoE(133-150)-PNA conjugate using chemo-selective NCL was highly efficient and the conjugate was obtained in high yield. Toward synthesizing trifunctional CPP-ASO conjugates, we subsequently conjugated different functional moieties including a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotide (PMO), an additional functional peptide or a fluorescent dye (Cy5) to the thiol that was generated after NCL. The in vitro analysis of the bifunctional CPP-PNA and trifunctional CPP-(PMO)-PNA, CPP-(peptide)-PNA and CPP-(Cy5)-PNA showed that all conjugates are cell-permeable and biologically active. Here we demonstrated chemo-selective NCL as a highly efficient and superior conjugation strategy to previously published methods for facile solution-phase synthesis of bi-/trifunctional CPP-ASO conjugates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohadeseh Dastpeyman
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - John A Karas
- School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,The Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Azin Amin
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Bradley J Turner
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Fazel Shabanpoor
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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19
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Dastpeyman M, Sharifi R, Amin A, Karas JA, Cuic B, Pan Y, Nicolazzo JA, Turner BJ, Shabanpoor F. Endosomal escape cell-penetrating peptides significantly enhance pharmacological effectiveness and CNS activity of systemically administered antisense oligonucleotides. Int J Pharm 2021; 599:120398. [PMID: 33640427 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.120398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are an emerging class of gene-specific therapeutics for diseases associated with the central nervous system (CNS). However, ASO delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to their CNS target cells remains a major challenge. Since ASOs are mainly taken up into the brain capillary endothelial cells interface through endosomal routes, entrapment in the endosomal compartment is a major obstacle for efficient CNS delivery of ASOs. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of a panel of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) bearing several endosomal escape domains for the intracellular delivery, endosomal release and antisense activity of FDA-approved Spinraza (Nusinersen), an ASO used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). We identified a CPP, HA2-ApoE(131-150), which, when conjugated to Nusinersen, showed efficient endosomal escape capability and significantly increased the level of full-length functional mRNA of the survival motor neuron 2 (SMN2) gene in SMA patient-derived fibroblasts. Treatment of SMN2 transgenic adult mice with this CPP-PMO conjugate resulted in a significant increase in the level of full-length SMN2 in the brain and spinal cord. This work provides proof-of-principle that integration of endosomal escape domains with CPPs enables higher cytosolic delivery of ASOs, and more importantly enhances the efficiency of BBB-permeability and CNS activity of systemically administered ASOs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohadeseh Dastpeyman
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
| | - Ramin Sharifi
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
| | - Azin Amin
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
| | - John A Karas
- School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; The Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, 30 Flemington Rd., VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Brittany Cuic
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia
| | - Yijun Pan
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Joseph A Nicolazzo
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Bradley J Turner
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia; The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia 6150, Australia
| | - Fazel Shabanpoor
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia.
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20
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Berger S, Krhač Levačić A, Hörterer E, Wilk U, Benli-Hoppe T, Wang Y, Öztürk Ö, Luo J, Wagner E. Optimizing pDNA Lipo-polyplexes: A Balancing Act between Stability and Cargo Release. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:1282-1296. [PMID: 33616407 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
When optimizing nanocarriers, structural motifs that are beneficial for the respective type of cargo need to be identified. Here, succinoyl tetraethylene pentamine (Stp)-based lipo-oligoaminoamides (OAAs) were optimized for the delivery of plasmid DNA (pDNA). Structural variations comprised saturated fatty acids with chain lengths between C2 and C18 and terminal cysteines as units promoting nanoparticle stabilization, histidines for endosomal buffering, and disulfide building blocks for redox-sensitive release. Biophysical and tumor cell culture screening established clear-cut relationships between lipo-OAAs and characteristics of the formed pDNA complexes. Based on the optimized alternating Stp-histidine backbones, lipo-OAAs containing fatty acids with chain lengths around C6 to C10 displayed maximum gene transfer with around 500-fold higher gene expression than that of C18 lipo-OAA analogues. Promising lipo-OAAs, however, showed only moderate in vivo efficiency. In vitro testing in 90% full serum, revealing considerable inhibition of lytic and gene-transfer activity, was found as a new screening model predictive for intravenous applications in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Berger
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Ana Krhač Levačić
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Elisa Hörterer
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Ulrich Wilk
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Teoman Benli-Hoppe
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Yanfang Wang
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Özgür Öztürk
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Jie Luo
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich 81377, Germany
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21
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Apostolopoulos V, Bojarska J, Chai TT, Elnagdy S, Kaczmarek K, Matsoukas J, New R, Parang K, Lopez OP, Parhiz H, Perera CO, Pickholz M, Remko M, Saviano M, Skwarczynski M, Tang Y, Wolf WM, Yoshiya T, Zabrocki J, Zielenkiewicz P, AlKhazindar M, Barriga V, Kelaidonis K, Sarasia EM, Toth I. A Global Review on Short Peptides: Frontiers and Perspectives. Molecules 2021; 26:E430. [PMID: 33467522 PMCID: PMC7830668 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26020430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptides are fragments of proteins that carry out biological functions. They act as signaling entities via all domains of life and interfere with protein-protein interactions, which are indispensable in bio-processes. Short peptides include fundamental molecular information for a prelude to the symphony of life. They have aroused considerable interest due to their unique features and great promise in innovative bio-therapies. This work focusing on the current state-of-the-art short peptide-based therapeutical developments is the first global review written by researchers from all continents, as a celebration of 100 years of peptide therapeutics since the commencement of insulin therapy in the 1920s. Peptide "drugs" initially played only the role of hormone analogs to balance disorders. Nowadays, they achieve numerous biomedical tasks, can cross membranes, or reach intracellular targets. The role of peptides in bio-processes can hardly be mimicked by other chemical substances. The article is divided into independent sections, which are related to either the progress in short peptide-based theranostics or the problems posing challenge to bio-medicine. In particular, the SWOT analysis of short peptides, their relevance in therapies of diverse diseases, improvements in (bio)synthesis platforms, advanced nano-supramolecular technologies, aptamers, altered peptide ligands and in silico methodologies to overcome peptide limitations, modern smart bio-functional materials, vaccines, and drug/gene-targeted delivery systems are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasso Apostolopoulos
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia; (V.A.); (J.M.); (V.B.)
| | - Joanna Bojarska
- Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Żeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
| | - Tsun-Thai Chai
- Department of Chemical Science, Faculty of Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar 31900, Malaysia;
| | - Sherif Elnagdy
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Gamaa St., Giza 12613, Egypt; (S.E.); (M.A.)
| | - Krzysztof Kaczmarek
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Żeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland; (K.K.); (J.Z.)
| | - John Matsoukas
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia; (V.A.); (J.M.); (V.B.)
- NewDrug, Patras Science Park, 26500 Patras, Greece;
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Roger New
- Vaxcine (UK) Ltd., c/o London Bioscience Innovation Centre, London NW1 0NH, UK;
- Faculty of Science & Technology, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, London NW4 4BT, UK;
| | - Keykavous Parang
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus, Irvine, CA 92618, USA;
| | - Octavio Paredes Lopez
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioquímica, Irapuato 36824, Guanajuato, Mexico;
| | - Hamideh Parhiz
- Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6073, USA;
| | - Conrad O. Perera
- School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
| | - Monica Pickholz
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina;
- Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires (IFIBA, UBA-CONICET), Argentina, Buenos Aires 1428, Argentina
| | - Milan Remko
- Remedika, Luzna 9, 85104 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Michele Saviano
- Institute of Crystallography (CNR), Via Amendola 122/o, 70126 Bari, Italy;
| | - Mariusz Skwarczynski
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.); (I.T.)
| | - Yefeng Tang
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (MOE), School of Pharma Ceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China;
| | - Wojciech M. Wolf
- Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Żeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
| | | | - Janusz Zabrocki
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Żeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland; (K.K.); (J.Z.)
| | - Piotr Zielenkiewicz
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland;
- Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Experimental Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maha AlKhazindar
- Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Gamaa St., Giza 12613, Egypt; (S.E.); (M.A.)
| | - Vanessa Barriga
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia; (V.A.); (J.M.); (V.B.)
| | | | | | - Istvan Toth
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; (M.S.); (I.T.)
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
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22
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Wang T, Meng Z, Kang Z, Ding G, Zhao B, Han Z, Zheng Z, Wang C, Meng Q. Peptide Gene Delivery Vectors for Specific Transfection of Glioma Cells. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2020; 6:6778-6789. [DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Taoran Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
| | - Zhao Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
| | - Ziyao Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
| | - Guihua Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
| | - Baoquan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
| | - Zhenbin Han
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
| | - Zhibing Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
| | - Chenhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
| | - Qingbin Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Natural Resources and Functional Molecules of the Changbai Mountain, Affiliated Ministry of Education, College of Pharmacy, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin 133002, China
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23
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Liscano Y, Oñate-Garzón J, Delgado JP. Peptides with Dual Antimicrobial-Anticancer Activity: Strategies to Overcome Peptide Limitations and Rational Design of Anticancer Peptides. Molecules 2020; 25:E4245. [PMID: 32947811 PMCID: PMC7570524 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25184245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptides are naturally produced by all organisms and exhibit a wide range of physiological, immunomodulatory, and wound healing functions. Furthermore, they can provide with protection against microorganisms and tumor cells. Their multifaceted performance, high selectivity, and reduced toxicity have positioned them as effective therapeutic agents, representing a positive economic impact for pharmaceutical companies. Currently, efforts have been made to invest in the development of new peptides with antimicrobial and anticancer properties, but the poor stability of these molecules in physiological environments has triggered a bottleneck. Therefore, some tools, such as nanotechnology and in silico approaches can be applied as alternatives to try to overcome these obstacles. In silico studies provide a priori knowledge that can lead to the development of new anticancer peptides with enhanced biological activity and improved stability. This review focuses on the current status of research in peptides with dual antimicrobial-anticancer activity, including advances in computational biology using in silico analyses as a powerful tool for the study and rational design of these types of peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamil Liscano
- Research Group of Chemical and Biotechnology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Universidad Santiago de Cali, 760035 Cali, Colombia;
- Research Group of Genetics, Regeneration and Cancer, Institute of Biology, Universidad de Antioquia, 050010 Medellin, Colombia;
| | - Jose Oñate-Garzón
- Research Group of Chemical and Biotechnology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Universidad Santiago de Cali, 760035 Cali, Colombia;
| | - Jean Paul Delgado
- Research Group of Genetics, Regeneration and Cancer, Institute of Biology, Universidad de Antioquia, 050010 Medellin, Colombia;
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24
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He J, Xu S, Mixson AJ. The Multifaceted Histidine-Based Carriers for Nucleic Acid Delivery: Advances and Challenges. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:pharmaceutics12080774. [PMID: 32823960 PMCID: PMC7465012 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12080774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Histidines incorporated into carriers of nucleic acids may enhance the extracellular stability of the nanoparticle, yet aid in the intracellular disruption of the nanoparticle, enabling the release of the nucleic acid. Moreover, protonation of histidines in the endosomes may result in endosomal swelling with subsequent lysis. These properties of histidine are based on its five-member imidazole ring in which the two nitrogen atoms may form hydrogen bonds or act as a base in acidic environments. A wide variety of carriers have integrated histidines or histidine-rich domains, which include peptides, polyethylenimine, polysaccharides, platform delivery systems, viral phages, mesoporous silica particles, and liposomes. Histidine-rich carriers have played key roles in our understanding of the stability of nanocarriers and the escape of the nucleic acids from endosomes. These carriers show great promise and offer marked potential in delivering plasmids, siRNA, and mRNA to their intracellular targets.
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25
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Chiangjong W, Chutipongtanate S, Hongeng S. Anticancer peptide: Physicochemical property, functional aspect and trend in clinical application (Review). Int J Oncol 2020; 57:678-696. [PMID: 32705178 PMCID: PMC7384845 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2020.5099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is currently ineffectively treated using therapeutic drugs, and is also able to resist drug action, resulting in increased side effects following drug treatment. A novel therapeutic strategy against cancer cells is the use of anticancer peptides (ACPs). The physicochemical properties, amino acid composition and the addition of chemical groups on the ACP sequence influences their conformation, net charge and orientation of the secondary structure, leading to an effect on targeting specificity and ACP-cell interaction, as well as peptide penetrating capability, stability and efficacy. ACPs have been developed from both naturally occurring and modified peptides by substituting neutral or anionic amino acid residues with cationic amino acid residues, or by adding a chemical group. The modified peptides lead to an increase in the effectiveness of cancer therapy. Due to this effectiveness, ACPs have recently been improved to form drugs and vaccines, which have sequentially been evaluated in various phases of clinical trials. The development of the ACPs remains focused on generating newly modified ACPs for clinical application in order to decrease the incidence of new cancer cases and decrease the mortality rate. The present review could further facilitate the design of ACPs and increase efficacious ACP therapy in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wararat Chiangjong
- Pediatric Translational Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Somchai Chutipongtanate
- Pediatric Translational Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Suradej Hongeng
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
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26
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Cheraghi R, Nazari M, Alipour M, Hosseinkhani S. Stepwise Development of Biomimetic Chimeric Peptides for Gene Delivery. Protein Pept Lett 2020; 27:698-710. [PMID: 32026767 DOI: 10.2174/0929866527666200206153328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Gene-based therapy largely relies on the vector type that allows a selective and efficient transfection into the target cells with maximum efficacy and minimal toxicity. Although, genes delivered utilizing modified viruses transfect efficiently and precisely, these vectors can cause severe immunological responses and are potentially carcinogenic. A promising method of overcoming this limitation is the use of non-viral vectors, including cationic lipids, polymers, dendrimers, and peptides, which offer potential routes for compacting DNA for targeted delivery. Although non-viral vectors exhibit reduced transfection efficiency compared to their viral counterpart, their superior biocompatibility, non-immunogenicity and potential for large-scale production make them increasingly attractive for modern therapy. There has been a great deal of interest in the development of biomimetic chimeric peptides. Biomimetic chimeric peptides contain different motifs for gene translocation into the nucleus of the desired cells. They have motifs for gene targeting into the desired cell, condense DNA into nanosize particles, translocate the gene into the nucleus and enhance the release of the particle into the cytoplasm. These carriers were developed in recent years. This review highlights the stepwise development of the biomimetic chimeric peptides currently being used in gene delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Cheraghi
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahboobeh Nazari
- Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohsen Alipour
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saman Hosseinkhani
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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27
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Suwan K, Yata T, Waramit S, Przystal JM, Stoneham CA, Bentayebi K, Asavarut P, Chongchai A, Pothachareon P, Lee KY, Topanurak S, Smith TL, Gelovani JG, Sidman RL, Pasqualini R, Arap W, Hajitou A. Next-generation of targeted AAVP vectors for systemic transgene delivery against cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:18571-18577. [PMID: 31375630 PMCID: PMC6744886 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906653116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophage (phage) have attractive advantages as delivery systems compared with mammalian viruses, but have been considered poor vectors because they lack evolved strategies to confront and overcome mammalian cell barriers to infective agents. We reasoned that improved efficacy of delivery might be achieved through structural modification of the viral capsid to avoid pre- and postinternalization barriers to mammalian cell transduction. We generated multifunctional hybrid adeno-associated virus/phage (AAVP) particles to enable simultaneous display of targeting ligands on the phage's minor pIII proteins and also degradation-resistance motifs on the very numerous pVIII coat proteins. This genetic strategy of directed evolution bestows a next-generation of AAVP particles that feature resistance to fibrinogen adsorption or neutralizing antibodies and ability to escape endolysosomal degradation. This results in superior gene transfer efficacy in vitro and also in preclinical mouse models of rodent and human solid tumors. Thus, the unique functions of our next-generation AAVP particles enable improved targeted gene delivery to tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keittisak Suwan
- Phage Therapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, United Kingdom
| | - Teerapong Yata
- Phage Therapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, United Kingdom
| | - Sajee Waramit
- Phage Therapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, United Kingdom
| | - Justyna M Przystal
- Phage Therapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte A Stoneham
- Phage Therapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, United Kingdom
| | - Kaoutar Bentayebi
- Phage Therapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, United Kingdom
| | - Paladd Asavarut
- Phage Therapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, United Kingdom
| | - Aitthiphon Chongchai
- Thailand Excellence Center for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, 50200 Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Peraphan Pothachareon
- Thailand Excellence Center for Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, 50200 Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Koon-Yang Lee
- Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom
| | - Supachai Topanurak
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 10400 Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tracey L Smith
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103
- Division of Cancer Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103
| | - Juri G Gelovani
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201
| | - Richard L Sidman
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115;
| | - Renata Pasqualini
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103;
- Division of Cancer Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103
| | - Wadih Arap
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103;
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103
| | - Amin Hajitou
- Phage Therapy Group, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, United Kingdom;
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28
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Edwardson TGW, Hilvert D. Virus-Inspired Function in Engineered Protein Cages. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:9432-9443. [PMID: 31117660 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b03705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The structural and functional diversity of proteins combined with their genetic programmability has made them indispensable modern materials. Well-defined, hollow protein capsules have proven to be particularly useful due to their ability to compartmentalize macromolecules and chemical processes. To this end, viral capsids are common scaffolds and have been successfully repurposed to produce a suite of practical protein-based nanotechnologies. Recently, the recapitulation of viromimetic function in protein cages of nonviral origin has emerged as a strategy to both complement physical studies of natural viruses and produce useful scaffolds for diverse applications. In this perspective, we review recent progress toward generation of virus-like behavior in nonviral protein cages through rational engineering and directed evolution. These artificial systems can aid our understanding of the emergence of viruses from existing cellular components, as well as provide alternative approaches to tackle current problems, and open up new opportunities, in medicine and biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Donald Hilvert
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry , ETH Zurich , 8093 Zurich , Switzerland
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29
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Algayer B, O'Brien A, Momose A, Murphy DJ, Procopio W, Tellers DM, Tucker TJ. Novel pH Selective, Highly Lytic Peptides Based on a Chimeric Influenza Hemagglutinin Peptide/Cell Penetrating Peptide Motif. Molecules 2019; 24:E2079. [PMID: 31159194 PMCID: PMC6600388 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24112079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Delivery of macromolecular cargos such as siRNA to the cytosol after endocytosis remains a critical challenge. Numerous approaches including viruses, lipid nanoparticles, polymeric constructs, and various peptide-based approaches have yet to yield a general solution to this delivery issue. In this manuscript, we describe our efforts to design novel endosomolytic peptides that could be used to facilitate the release of cargos from a late endosomal compartment. These amphiphilic peptides, based on a chimeric influenza hemagglutinin peptide/cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) template, utilize a pH-triggering mechanism in which the peptides are protonated after acidification of the endosome, and thereby adopt an alpha-helical conformation. The helical forms of the peptides are lytically active, while the non-protonated forms are much less or non-lytically active at physiological pH. Starting from an initial lead peptide (INF7-Tat), we systematically modified the sequence of the chimeric peptides to obtain peptides with greatly enhanced lytic activity that maintain good pH selectivity in a red blood cell hemolysis assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany Algayer
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck and Co, Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
| | - Ann O'Brien
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck and Co, Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
| | - Aaron Momose
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck and Co, Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
| | - Dennis J Murphy
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck and Co, Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
| | - William Procopio
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck and Co, Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
| | - David M Tellers
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck and Co, Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
| | - Thomas J Tucker
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck and Co, Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
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30
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Strategies in the design of endosomolytic agents for facilitating endosomal escape in nanoparticles. Biochimie 2019; 160:61-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2019.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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31
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Rouet R, Christ D. Efficient Intracellular Delivery of CRISPR-Cas Ribonucleoproteins through Receptor Mediated Endocytosis. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:554-561. [PMID: 30779874 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
We recently reported a new delivery system harnessing surface receptors for targeted uptake of CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein into mammalian cells (Rouet et al., JACS 2018). For this purpose, Cas9 protein was labeled with the small molecule ligand ASGRL, specific for the asialoglycoprotein receptor, enabling endosomal uptake of the ribonucleoprotein into human cells expressing the receptor. However, detailed mechanistic insights had remained unknown and editing efficiency low. Here we investigate the mechanism of endosomal escape as mediated by the ppTG21 endosomolytic peptide and outline the development of novel Cas9 or Cas12a ribonucleoprotein complexes with increased editing efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Rouet
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- The University of New South Wales Sydney, Faculty of Medicine, St. Vincent’s Clinical School, Darlinghurst, New South Wales Australia
| | - Daniel Christ
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- The University of New South Wales Sydney, Faculty of Medicine, St. Vincent’s Clinical School, Darlinghurst, New South Wales Australia
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32
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Hernandez‐Garcia A, Álvarez Z, Simkin D, Madhan A, Pariset E, Tantakitti F, de J. Vargas‐Dorantes O, Lee SS, Kiskinis E, Stupp SI. Peptide-siRNA Supramolecular Particles for Neural Cell Transfection. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2019; 6:1801458. [PMID: 30775231 PMCID: PMC6364495 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201801458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA)-based gene knockdown is an effective tool for gene screening and therapeutics. However, the use of nonviral methods has remained an enormous challenge in neural cells. A strategy is reported to design artificial noncationic modular peptides with amplified affinity for siRNA via supramolecular assembly that shows efficient protein knockdown in neural cells. By solid phase synthesis, a sequence that binds specifically double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) with a self-assembling peptide for particle formation is integrated. These supramolecular particles can be further functionalized with bioactive sequences without affecting their biophysical properties. The peptide carrier is found to silence efficiently up to 83% of protein expression in primary astroglial and neuronal cell cultures without cytotoxicity. In the case of neurons, a reduction in electrical activity is observed once the presynaptic protein synaptophysin is downregulated by the siRNA-peptide particles. The results demonstrate that the supramolecular particles offer an siRNA delivery platform for efficient nonviral gene screening and discovery of novel therapies for neural cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armando Hernandez‐Garcia
- Simpson Querrey InstituteNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
- Department of Chemistry of BiomacromoleculesInstitute of ChemistryNational Autonomous University of MexicoCiudad UniversitariaMexico City04510Mexico
| | - Zaida Álvarez
- Simpson Querrey InstituteNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
| | - Dina Simkin
- Department of PharmacologyFeinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
- The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology & Clinical Neurological SciencesDepartment of PhysiologyFeinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
| | - Ashwin Madhan
- Simpson Querrey InstituteNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
| | - Eloise Pariset
- Simpson Querrey InstituteNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
| | | | - Oscar de J. Vargas‐Dorantes
- Department of Chemistry of BiomacromoleculesInstitute of ChemistryNational Autonomous University of MexicoCiudad UniversitariaMexico City04510Mexico
| | - Sungsoo S. Lee
- Simpson Querrey InstituteNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
| | - Evangelos Kiskinis
- The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology & Clinical Neurological SciencesDepartment of PhysiologyFeinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
| | - Samuel I. Stupp
- Simpson Querrey InstituteNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
- Department of ChemistryNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIL60208USA
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIL60208USA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIL60208USA
- Department of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIL60611USA
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33
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Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyao Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Beijing
- China
| | - Qingbin Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Beijing
- China
| | - Keliang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Beijing
- China
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34
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pH dependent membrane binding of the Solanum tuberosum plant specific insert: An in silico study. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2018; 1860:2608-2618. [PMID: 30291921 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The Solanum tuberosum plant-specific insert (StPSI) has been shown to possess potent antimicrobial activity against both human and plant pathogens. Furthermore, in vitro, the StPSI is capable of fusing phospholipid vesicles, provided the conditions of net anionic vesicle charge and acidic pH are met. Constant pH replica-exchange simulations indicate several acidic residues on the dimer have highly perturbed pKas (<3.0; E15, D28, E85 & E100) due to involvement in salt bridges. After setting the pH of the system to either 3.0 or 7.4, all-atom simulations provided details of the effect of pH on secondary structural elements, particularly in the previously unresolved crystallographic structure of the loop section. Coarse-grained dimer-bilayer simulations demonstrated that at pH 7.4, the dimer had no affinity for neutral or anionic membranes over the course of 1 μs simulations. Conversely, at pH 3.0 two binding modes were observed. Mode 1 is mediated primarily via strong N-terminal interactions on one monomer only, whereas in mode 2, N- and C-terminal residues of one monomer and numerous polar and basic residues on the second monomer, particularly in the third helix, participate in membrane interactions. Mode 2 was accompanied by re-orientation of the dimer to a more vertical position with respect to helices 1 and 4, positioning the dimer for membrane interactions. These results offer the first examination at near-atomic resolution of residues mediating the StPSI-membrane interactions, and allow for the postulation of a possible fusion mechanism.
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35
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Ho JK, White PJ, Pouton CW. Self-Crosslinking Lipopeptide/DNA/PEGylated Particles: A New Platform for DNA Vaccination Designed for Assembly in Aqueous Solution. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2018; 12:504-517. [PMID: 30195787 PMCID: PMC6077166 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2018.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Revised: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Delivery of plasmids for gene expression in vivo is an inefficient process that requires improvement and optimization to unlock the clinical potential of DNA vaccines. With ease of manufacture and biocompatibility in mind, we explored condensation of DNA in aqueous solution with a self-crosslinking, endosome-escaping lipopeptide (LP), stearoyl-Cys-His-His-Lys-Lys-Lys-amide (stearoyl-CH2K3), to produce cationic LP/DNA complexes. To test whether poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-ylation of these cationic complexes to neutralize the surface charge would improve the distribution, gene expression, and immune responses poly(ethylene glycol), these LP/DNA complexes were combined with 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DSPE-PEG2000). Fluorescence imaging illustrated that the cationic complexes exhibited the highest degree of localization and lowest degree of dispersion throughout the injected muscle, suggesting impaired mobility of cationic particles upon administration. Nanoluciferase reporter assays over a 90-day period demonstrated that gene expression levels in muscle were highest for PEGylated particles, with over a 200-fold higher level of expression than the cationic particles observed at 30 days. Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses were evaluated in vivo after injection of an ovalbumin expression plasmid. PEGylation improved both immune responses to the DNA complexes in mice. Overall, this suggests that PEGylation of cationic lipopeptide complexes can significantly improve both the transgene expression and immunogenicity of intramuscular DNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan K Ho
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University (Parkville Campus), Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Paul J White
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University (Parkville Campus), Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Colin W Pouton
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University (Parkville Campus), Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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36
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Alipour M, Majidi A, Molaabasi F, Sheikhnejad R, Hosseinkhani S. In vivo
tumor gene delivery using novel peptideticles: pH‐responsive and ligand targeted core–shell nanoassembly. Int J Cancer 2018; 143:2017-2028. [DOI: 10.1002/ijc.31577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Alipour
- Department of Nano BiotechnologyFaculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityTehran Iran
| | - Asia Majidi
- Department of Nano BiotechnologyFaculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityTehran Iran
| | - Fatemeh Molaabasi
- Department of BiochemistryFaculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityTehran Iran
| | - Reza Sheikhnejad
- Department of Molecular BiologyTofigh Daru Co. (TODACO)Tehran Iran
| | - Saman Hosseinkhani
- Department of Nano BiotechnologyFaculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityTehran Iran
- Department of BiochemistryFaculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityTehran Iran
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37
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Unraveling the cell-type dependent radiosensitizing effects of gold through the development of a multifunctional gold nanoparticle. NANOMEDICINE-NANOTECHNOLOGY BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2017; 14:439-449. [PMID: 29196180 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2017.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The radiosensitizing efficacy of gold is well established, however, there remain several significant barriers to the successful clinical translation of nano-sized gold particles (AuNPs). These barriers include: retaining stability in relevant biological sera, demonstrating effectiveness at clinically relevant AuNP concentrations and identifying the biological context where significant benefit is most likely to be achieved. Herein we have developed a AuNP preparation, stress-tested to provide effective protection from salt and serum mediated agglomeration. Furthermore, the core AuNP is co-functionalized with two biologically derived peptides designed to enhance endocytosis and promote endosomal escape, thus maximizing intracellular AuNP surface area. In summary, these investigations demonstrate restored AuNP internalization using the co-functionalized preparation that generated significant radiosensitization, in both in vitro and in vivo models, at clinically viable treatment concentrations. Furthermore, we have identified an underpinning biological mechanism in the inherent radical scavenging capacity that could be used to predict radiosensitizing efficacy.
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38
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Krhac Levacic A, Morys S, Wagner E. Solid-phase supported design of carriers for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery. Biosci Rep 2017; 37:BSR20160617. [PMID: 28963371 PMCID: PMC5662914 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20160617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acid molecules are important therapeutic agents in the field of antisense oligonucleotide, RNA interference, and gene therapies. Since nucleic acids are not able to cross cell membranes and enter efficiently into cells on their own, the development of efficient, safe, and precise delivery systems is the crucial challenge for development of nucleic acid therapeutics. For the delivery of nucleic acids to their intracellular site of action, either the cytosol or the nucleus, several extracellular and intracellular barriers have to be overcome. Multifunctional carriers may handle the different special requirements of each barrier. The complexity of such macromolecules however poses a new hurdle in medical translation, which is the chemical production in reproducible and well-defined form. Solid-phase assisted synthesis (SPS) presents a solution for this challenge. The current review provides an overview on the design and SPS of precise sequence-defined synthetic carriers for nucleic acid cargos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Krhac Levacic
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-Based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, D-81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan Morys
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-Based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, D-81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-Based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, D-81377 Munich, Germany
- Nanosystems Initiative Munich, Schellingstrasse 4, D-80799 Munich, Germany
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39
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Tran NB, Moon JR, Jeon YS, Kim J, Kim JH. Adhesive and self-healing soft gel based on metal-coordinated imidazole-containing polyaspartamide. Colloid Polym Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00396-017-4051-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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40
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Zhang P, Wagner E. History of Polymeric Gene Delivery Systems. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2017; 375:26. [PMID: 28181193 DOI: 10.1007/s41061-017-0112-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
As an option for genetic disease treatment and an alternative for traditional cancer chemotherapy, gene therapy achieves significant attention. Nucleic acid delivery, however, remains a main challenge in human gene therapy. Polymer-based delivery systems offer a safer and promising route for therapeutic gene delivery. Over the past five decades, various cationic polymers have been optimized for increasingly effective nucleic acid transfer. This resulted in a chemical evolution of cationic polymers from the first-generation polycations towards bioinspired multifunctional sequence-defined polymers and nanocomposites. With the increasing of knowledge in molecular biological processes and rapid progress of macromolecular chemistry, further improvement of polymeric nucleic acid delivery systems will provide effective tool for gene-based therapy in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-Based Drug Research Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 81377, Munich, Germany. .,Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM), 80799, Munich, Germany.
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-Based Drug Research Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 81377, Munich, Germany.,Nanosystems Initiative Munich (NIM), 80799, Munich, Germany.,Center for NanoScience (CeNS), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799, Munich, Germany
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41
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Tai W, Gao X. Functional peptides for siRNA delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2017; 110-111:157-168. [PMID: 27530388 PMCID: PMC5305781 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2016.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
siRNA is considered as a potent therapeutic agent because of its high specificity and efficiency in suppressing genes that are overexpressed during disease development. For nearly two decades, a significant amount of efforts has been dedicated to bringing the siRNA technology into clinical uses. However, only limited success has been achieved to date, largely due to the lack of a cell type-specific, safe, and efficient delivery technology to carry siRNA into the target cells' cytosol where RNA interference takes place. Among the emerging candidate nanocarriers for siRNA delivery, peptides have gained popularity because of their structural and functional diversity. A variety of peptides have been discovered for their ability to translocate siRNA into living cells via different mechanisms such as direct penetration through the cellular membrane, endocytosis-mediated cell entry followed by endosomolysis, and receptor-mediated uptake. This review is focused on the multiple roles played by peptides in siRNA delivery, such as membrane penetration, endosome disruption, targeting, as well as the combination of these functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanyi Tai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, William H Foege Building N561, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Xiaohu Gao
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, William H Foege Building N561, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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42
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Nano-biomimetic carriers are implicated in mechanistic evaluation of intracellular gene delivery. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41507. [PMID: 28128339 PMCID: PMC5269746 DOI: 10.1038/srep41507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Several tissue specific non-viral carriers have been developed for gene delivery purposes. However, the inability to escape endosomes, undermines the efficacy of these carriers. Researchers inspired by HIV and influenza virus, have randomly used Gp41 and H5WYG fusogenic peptides in several gene delivery systems without any rational preference. Here for the first time, we have genetically engineered two Nano-biomimetic carriers composed of either HWYG (HNH) or Gp41 (GNH) that precisely provide identical conditions for the study and evaluation of these fusogenic peptides. The luciferase assay demonstrated a two-fold higher transfection efficiency of HNH compared to GNH. These nanocarriers also displayed equivalent properties in terms of DNA binding ability and DNA protection against serum nucleases and formed similar nanoparticles in terms of surface charge and size. Interestingly, hemolysis and cellular analysis demonstrated both of nanoparticles internalized into cells in similar rate and escaped from endosome with different efficiency. Furthermore, the structural analysis revealed the mechanisms responsible for the superior endosomal escaping capability of H5WYG. In conclusion, this study describes the rationale for using H5WYG peptide to deliver nucleic acids and suggests that using nano-biomimetic carriers to screen different endosomal release peptides, improves gene delivery significantly.
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43
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Sun X, Luo Y, Huang L, Yu BY, Tian J. A peptide-decorated and curcumin-loaded mesoporous silica nanomedicine for effectively overcoming multidrug resistance in cancer cells. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ra01128h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
A robust peptide-functionalized mesoporous silica nanomedicine loading with curcumin and doxorubicin (DOX/CUR@MSN-Pep) has been successfully constructed to effectively overcome multidrug resistance in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of TCM Evaluation and Translational Research
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 211198
| | - Yingping Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of TCM Evaluation and Translational Research
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 211198
| | - Liwei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of TCM Evaluation and Translational Research
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 211198
| | - Bo-Yang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of TCM Evaluation and Translational Research
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 211198
| | - Jiangwei Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of TCM Evaluation and Translational Research
- Department of Complex Prescription of TCM
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 211198
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44
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Ahmed M. Peptides, polypeptides and peptide–polymer hybrids as nucleic acid carriers. Biomater Sci 2017; 5:2188-2211. [DOI: 10.1039/c7bm00584a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Peptide, polypeptide and polymer–peptide hybrid based nucleic acid therapeutics (NAT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marya Ahmed
- Department of Chemistry & School of Sustainable Design and Engineering
- University of Prince Edward Island
- Charlottetown
- Canada
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45
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McErlean EM, McCrudden CM, McCarthy HO. Delivery of nucleic acids for cancer gene therapy: overcoming extra- and intra-cellular barriers. Ther Deliv 2016; 7:619-37. [PMID: 27582234 DOI: 10.4155/tde-2016-0049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic potential of cancer gene therapy has been limited by the difficulty of delivering genetic material to target sites. Various biological and molecular barriers exist which need to be overcome before effective nonviral delivery systems can be applied successfully in oncology. Herein, various barriers are described and strategies to circumvent such obstacles are discussed, considering both the extracellular and intracellular setting. Development of multifunctional delivery systems holds much promise for the progression of gene delivery, and a growing body of evidence supports this approach involving rational design of vectors, with a unique molecular architecture. In addition, the potential application of composite gene delivery platforms is highlighted which may provide an alternative delivery strategy to traditional systemic administration.
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46
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Gonçalves C, Akhter S, Pichon C, Midoux P. Intracellular Availability of pDNA and mRNA after Transfection: A Comparative Study among Polyplexes, Lipoplexes, and Lipopolyplexes. Mol Pharm 2016; 13:3153-63. [PMID: 27486998 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b00376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Intracellular availability of nucleic acids from synthetic vectors is critical and directly influences the transfection efficiency (TE). Herein, we evaluated the TE of polymer- and lipid-based nanoplexes (polyplexes, lipoplexes and lipopolyplexes) of EGFP-encoding mRNA and pDNA. To determine the translation and transcription efficiency of each nucleic acid nanoplex, in vitro expression was measured in HEK293T7 cells that permit gene expression in the cytoplasmic region. Globally, mRNA transfection profile was well corroborative with cytoplasmic transfection of pT7-pDNA as well as with nuclear transfection of pCMV-DNA. Irrespective of the nucleic acid, high TE was observed with histidinylated l-polyethylenimine (His-lPEI) polyplexes and dioleyl succinyl paromomycin/O,O-dioleyl-N-histamine phosphoramidate (DOPS/MM27) lipoplexes. Moreover, His-lPEI polyplexes yielded higher in vitro expression of EGFP for pDNA than for mRNA. Furthermore, a significant enhancement in the TE in the presence of an excess of His-lPEI was observed indicating that this polymer promotes cytosolic delivery. Compared to other nanoplexes, His-lPEI polyplex showed high intracellular availability of DNA and mRNA along with low cytotoxicity, owing to its rapid (complete or partial) unpacking in the cytosol and/or endosomes. This study gives an insight that, whether with mRNA or pDNA, enhancing nanoplex unpacking in the endosomes and cytosol would improve the delivery of nucleic acid in the cytosol and particularly in the case of pDNA where a sufficient available amount of pDNA in the cytoplasm would definitely improve its transport toward the nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristine Gonçalves
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301 , rue Charles Sadron CS 80054, F-45071 Orléans Cedex 02, France.,Université d'Orléans , Orléans, France
| | - Sohail Akhter
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301 , rue Charles Sadron CS 80054, F-45071 Orléans Cedex 02, France.,Université d'Orléans , Orléans, France.,Le Studium Loire Valley Institute for Advanced Studies , Centre-Val de Loire région, France
| | - Chantal Pichon
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301 , rue Charles Sadron CS 80054, F-45071 Orléans Cedex 02, France.,Université d'Orléans , Orléans, France
| | - Patrick Midoux
- Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS UPR4301 , rue Charles Sadron CS 80054, F-45071 Orléans Cedex 02, France.,Université d'Orléans , Orléans, France
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47
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McBride JW, Massey AS, McCaffrey J, McCrudden CM, Coulter JA, Dunne NJ, Robson T, McCarthy HO. Development of TMTP-1 targeted designer biopolymers for gene delivery to prostate cancer. Int J Pharm 2016; 500:144-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2016.01.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Revised: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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48
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Zhang Q, Lu L, Zhang L, Shi K, Cun X, Yang Y, Liu Y, Gao H, He Q. Dual-functionalized liposomal delivery system for solid tumors based on RGD and a pH-responsive antimicrobial peptide. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19800. [PMID: 26842655 PMCID: PMC4740748 DOI: 10.1038/srep19800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
[D]-H6L9, as a pH-responsive anti-microbial peptide (AMP), has been evidenced by us to be an excellent choice in tumor microenvironment-responsive delivery as it could render liposomes responsive to the acidified tumor microenvironment. However, [D]-H6L9-modified liposomes could not actively target to tumor area. Therefore, integrin αvβ3-targeted peptide RGD was co-modified with [D]-H6L9 onto liposomes [(R + D)-Lip] for improved tumor delivery efficiency. Under pH 6.3, (R + D)-Lip could be taken up by C26 cells and C26 tumor spheroids (integrin αvβ3-positive) with significantly improved efficiency compared with other groups, which was contributed by both RGD and [D]-H6L9, while RGD did not increase the cellular uptake performance on MCF-7 cells (integrin αvβ3-negative). Results showed that RGD could decrease cellular uptake of (R + D)-Lip while [D]-H6L9 could increase it, implying the role of both RGD and [D]-H6L9 in cellular internalization of (R + D)-Lip. On the other hand, (R + D)-Lip could escape the entrapment of lysosomes. PTX-loaded (R + D)-Lip could further increase the cellular toxicity against C26 cells compared with liposomes modified only with RGD and [D]-H6L9 respectively, and achieve remarkable tumor inhibition effect on C26 tumor models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Libao Lu
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Kairong Shi
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xingli Cun
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yuting Yang
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yayuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Huile Gao
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Qin He
- Key Laboratory of Drug Targeting and Drug Delivery Systems, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, No. 17, Block 3, Southern RenminRoad, Chengdu 610041, China
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49
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Tissue-specific Calibration of Real-time PCR Facilitates Absolute Quantification of Plasmid DNA in Biodistribution Studies. MOLECULAR THERAPY - NUCLEIC ACIDS 2016; 5:e371. [PMID: 27701400 PMCID: PMC5095683 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2016.79] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Analysis of the tissue distribution of plasmid DNA after administration of nonviral gene delivery systems is best accomplished using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), although published strategies do not allow determination of the absolute mass of plasmid delivered to different tissues. Generally, data is expressed as the mass of plasmid relative to the mass of genomic DNA (gDNA) in the sample. This strategy is adequate for comparisons of efficiency of delivery to a single site but it does not allow direct comparison of delivery to multiple tissues, as the mass of gDNA extracted per unit mass of each tissue is different. We show here that by constructing qPCR standard curves for each tissue it is possible to determine the dose of intact plasmid remaining in each tissue, which is a more useful parameter when comparing the fates of different formulations of DNA. We exemplify the use of this tissue-specific qPCR method by comparing the delivery of naked DNA, cationic DNA complexes, and neutral PEGylated DNA complexes after intramuscular injection. Generally, larger masses of intact plasmid were present 24 hours after injection of DNA complexes, and neutral complexes resulted in delivery of a larger mass of intact plasmid to the spleen.
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50
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Zha Z, Li J, Ge Z. Endosomal-Escape Polymers Based on Multicomponent Reaction-Synthesized Monomers Integrating Alkyl and Imidazolyl Moieties for Efficient Gene Delivery. ACS Macro Lett 2015; 4:1123-1127. [PMID: 35614816 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.5b00615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
As one of the toughest tasks in the course of intracellular therapeutics delivery, endosomal escape must be effectively achieved, particularly for intracellular gene transport. In this report, novel endosomal-escape polymers were designed and synthesized from monomers by integrating alkyl and imidazolyl via Passerini reaction and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT). After introducing the endosomal-escape polymers with proper degrees of polymerization (DPs) into poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) as the gene delivery vectors, the block copolymers exhibited significantly enhanced hemolytic activity at endosomal pH, and the plasmid DNA (pDNA)-loaded polyplexes showed efficient endosomal escape compared with PDMAEMA, ultimately achieving dramatically increased gene transfection efficacy. These results suggest that the polymers that integrate alkyl and imidazolyl moieties for efficient endosomal escape have wide potential applications for intracellular gene delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zengshi Zha
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft
Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui China
| | - Junjie Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft
Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui China
| | - Zhishen Ge
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft
Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui China
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