Formulations for natural and peptide nucleic acids based on cationic polymeric submicron particles

Challenges in the Physical Characterization of Lipid Nanoparticles

Nano-sized drug transporters have become an efficient approach with considerable commercial values. Nanomedicine is not only limited to drug delivery by means of different administration routes, such as intravenous, oral, transdermal, nasal, pulmonary, and more, but also has applications in a multitude of areas, such as a vaccine, antibacterial, diagnostics and imaging, and gene delivery. This review will focus on lipid nanosystems with a wide range of applications, taking into consideration their composition, properties, and physical parameters. However, designing suitable protocol for the physical evaluation of nanoparticles is still conflicting. The main obstacle is concerning the sensitivity, reproducibility, and reliability of the adopted methodology. Some important techniques are compared and discussed in this report. Particularly, a comparison between different techniques involved in (a) the morphologic characterization, such as Cryo-TEM, SEM, and X-ray; (b) the size measurement, such as dynamic light scattering, sedimentation field flow fractionation, and optical microscopy; and (c) surface properties, namely zeta potential measurement, is described. In addition, an amperometric tool in order to investigate antioxidant activity and the response of nanomaterials towards the skin membrane has been presented.

Delivery of Peptide Nucleic Acids Using an Argininocalix[4]arene as Vector

The importance of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) for alteration of gene expression is nowadays firmly established. PNAs are characterized by a pseudo-peptide backbone composed of N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine units and have been found to be excellent candidates for antisense and antigene therapies. Recently, PNAs have been demonstrated to alter the action of microRNAs and thus can be considered very important tools for miRNA therapeutics. In fact, the pharmacological modulation of microRNA activity appears to be a very interesting approach in the development of new types of drugs. Among the limits of PNAs in applied molecular biology, the delivery to target cells and tissues is of key importance. The aim of this chapter is to describe methods for the efficient delivery of unmodified PNAs designed to target microRNAs involved in cancer, using as model system miR-221-3p and human glioma cells as in vitro experimental cellular system. The methods employed to deliver PNAs targeting miR-221-3p here presented are based on a macrocyclic multivalent tetraargininocalix[4]arene used as non-covalent vector for anti-miR-221-3p PNAs. High delivery efficiency, low cytotoxicity, maintenance of the PNA biological activity, and easy preparation makes this vector a candidate for a universal delivery system for this class of nucleic acid analogs.

Peptide Nucleic Acids for MicroRNA Targeting

The involvement of microRNAs in human pathologies is firmly established. Accordingly, the pharmacological modulation of microRNA activity appears to be a very interesting approach in the development of new types of drugs (miRNA therapeutics). One important research area is the possible development of miRNA therapeutics in the field of rare diseases. In this respect, appealing molecules are based on peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), displaying, in their first description, a pseudo-peptide backbone composed of N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine units, and found to be excellent candidates for antisense and antigene therapies. The aim of the present article is to describe methods for determining the activity of PNAs designed to target microRNAs involved in cystic fibrosis, using as model system miR-145-5p and its target cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mRNA. The methods employed to study the effects of PNAs targeting miR-145-5p are presented here by discussing data obtained using as cellular model system the human lung epithelial Calu-3 cell line.

Molecular methods for validation of the biological activity of peptide nucleic acids targeting microRNAs

The involvement of microRNAs in human pathologies is a firmly established fact. Accordingly, the pharmacological modulation of their activity appears to be a very appealing issue in the development of new types of drugs (miRNA therapeutics). One of the most interesting issues is the possible development of miRNA therapeutics for development of anti-cancer molecules. In this respect appealing molecules are based on peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), displaying a pseudo-peptide backbone composed of N-(2-aminoethyl)glycine units and found to be excellent candidates for antisense and antigene therapies. The major limit in the use of PNAs for alteration of gene expression is the low uptake by eukaryotic cells. The aim of this chapter is to describe methods for determining the activity of PNAs designed to target oncomiRNAs, using as model system miR-221 and its target p27(Kip1) mRNA. The effects of PNAs targeting miR-221 are here presented discussing data obtained using as model system the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231, in which miR-221 is up-regulated and p27(Kip1) down-regulated.

Peptide nucleic acids targeting miR-221 modulate p27Kip1 expression in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells

The activity of a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) targeting cancer-associated microRNA-221 is described. PNAs against miR-221 were designed in order to bind very efficiently to the target RNA strand and to undergo efficient uptake in the cells. A polyarginine-PNA conjugate targeted against miR-221 (Rpep-PNA-a221) showed both very high affinity for RNA and efficient cellular uptake without the addition of transfection reagents. Unmodified PNA with the same sequence displayed RNA binding, but cellular uptake was very poor. Consistently, only Rpep-PNA-a221 strongly inhibited miR-221. Targeting miR-221 by PNA resulted in i) lowering of the hybridization levels of miR-221 measured by RT-qPCR, ii) upregulation of p27Kip1 gene expression, measured by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. The major conclusion of this study is that efficient delivery of anti‑miR PNA through a suitable peptide carrier (Rpep‑PNA-a221) leads to inhibition of miR-221 activity, altering the expression of miR-221-regulated functions in breast cancer cells.

γ Sulphate PNA (PNA S): highly selective DNA binding molecule showing promising antigene activity

Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNAs), nucleic acid analogues showing high stability to enzyme degradation and strong affinity and specificity of binding toward DNA and RNA are widely investigated as tools to interfere in gene expression. Several studies have been focused on PNA analogues with modifications on the backbone and bases in the attempt to overcome solubility, uptake and aggregation issues. γ PNAs, PNA derivatives having a substituent in the γ position of the backbone show interesting properties in terms of secondary structure and affinity of binding toward complementary nucleic acids. In this paper we illustrate our results obtained on new analogues, bearing a sulphate in the γ position of the backbone, developed to be more DNA-like in terms of polarity and charge. The synthesis of monomers and oligomers is described. NMR studies on the conformational properties of monomers and studies on the secondary structure of single strands and triplexes are reported. Furthermore the hybrid stability and the effect of mismatches on the stability have also been investigated. Finally, the ability of the new analogue to work as antigene, interfering with the transcription of the ErbB2 gene on a human cell line overexpressing ErbB2 (SKBR3), assessed by FACS and qPCR, is described.

miRNA therapeutics: delivery and biological activity of peptide nucleic acids targeting miRNAs

Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are DNA/RNA mimics extensively used for pharmacological regulation of gene expression in a variety of cellular and molecular systems, and they have been described as excellent candidates for antisense and antigene therapies. At present, very few data are available on the use of PNAs as molecules targeting miRNAs. miRNAs are a family of small nc RNAs that regulate gene expression by sequence-selective targeting of mRNAs, leading to a translational repression or mRNA degradation to the control of highly regulated biological functions, such as differentiation, cell cycle and apoptosis. The aim of this article is to present the state-of-the-art concerning the possible use of PNAs to target miRNAs and modify their biological metabolism within the cells. The results present in the literature allow to propose PNA-based molecules as very promising reagents to modulate the biological activity of miRNAs. In consideration of the involvement of miRNAs in human pathologies, PNA-mediated targeting of miRNAs has been proposed as a potential novel therapeutic approach.

Modulation of the biological activity of microRNA-210 with peptide nucleic acids (PNAs)

Herein we describe the activity of a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) that targets microRNA-210 (miR-210), which is associated with hypoxia and is modulated during erythroid differentiation. PNAs directed against miR-210 were designed to bind with high affinity to the target RNA strand and to undergo efficient uptake in target cells. A polyarginine-PNA conjugate directed against miR-210 (Rpep-PNA-a210) showed both very high affinity for RNA and efficient uptake into target cells without the need for transfection reagents. An unmodified PNA of the same sequence displayed the ability to bind RNA, but cellular uptake was very poor. Consistent with this, only Rpep-PNA-a210 strongly inhibited miR-210 activity, as evaluated by assays on undifferentiated K562 cells and on cells treated with mithramycin, which was found to induce erythroid differentiation and miR-210 overexpression. Targeting miR-210 by Rpep-PNA-a210 resulted in: 1) a decrease in miR-210 levels as measured by RT-PCR, 2) up-regulation of raptor mRNA, 3) a decrease in γ-globin mRNA, and 4) decreased expression of differentiated functions (i.e., proportion of benzidine-positive cells, content of embryo-fetal hemoglobins). The efficient delivery of anti-miR PNAs through a suitable peptide carrier (Rpep-PNA-a210) leads to the inhibition of miR-210 activity, altering the expression of miR-210-regulated erythroid functions.

Decoy oligodeoxyribonucleotides and peptide nucleic acids-DNA chimeras targeting nuclear factor kappa-B: inhibition of IL-8 gene expression in cystic fibrosis cells infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by a deep inflammatory process, with production and release of cytokines and chemokines, among which interleukin 8 (IL-8) represents one of the most important. Accordingly, there is a growing interest in developing therapies against IL-8, with the aim of reducing the excessive inflammatory response in the airways of CF patients. Since transcription factor NF-kappaB plays a critical role in IL-8 expression, the transcription factor decoy (TFD) strategy might be of interest. TFD is based on biomolecules mimicking the target sites of transcription factors (TFs) and able to interfere with TF activity when delivered to target cells. Here, we review the inhibitory effects of decoy oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs) on expression of IL-8 gene and secretion of IL-8 by cystic fibrosis cells infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition, the effects of decoy molecules based on peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are discussed. In this respect PNA-DNA-PNA (PDP) chimeras are interesting: (a) unlike PNAs, they can be complexed with liposomes and microspheres; (b) unlike oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs), they are resistant to DNAses, serum and cytoplasmic extracts; (c) unlike PNA/PNA and PNA/DNA hybrids, they are potent decoy molecules. Interestingly, PDP/PDP NF-kappaB decoy chimeras inhibit accumulation of pro-inflammatory mRNAs (including IL-8 mRNA) in P. aeruginosa infected IB3-1, cells reproducing the effects of decoy oligonucleotides. The effects of PDP/PDP chimeras, unlike ODN-based decoys, are observed even in absence of protection with lipofectamine. Since IL-8 is pivotal in pro-inflammatory processes affecting cystic fibrosis, inhibition of its functions might have a clinical relevance.

Optimization of a New Non-viral Vector for Transfection: Eudragit Nanoparticles for the Delivery of a DNA Plasmid

The development of new vectors to deliver DNA into cells for therapy of cancers or genetic diseases has been a major area of research for many years. However, the clinical application of this technology requires the development of efficient, reliable and sterile vectors enabling the transfer of genes in vivo. Non viral, polymer or lipid-based vectors offer a new impetus to gene therapy because they are less toxic than viral vectors (no endogenous recombination, fewer immunological reactions, easy production and delivery of large-sized plasmid). The aim of this study is to develop a new tool for DNA delivery composed of methacrylic polymeric (Eudragit® RS and RL) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were prepared by two methods: nanoprecipitation and double emulsion. The nanoparticles were characterized by their size, zeta potential and amount of DNA adsorption. Cytotoxicity tests based on mitochondrial activity (MTT test) revealed that the nanoparticles had limited cytotoxicity and that this depended on both the cell type and the nanoparticle concentration. Transgene expression was observed using the Green Fluorescence Protein gene as reporter gene, and was evaluated by flow cytometry in FaDu, MDA-MB 231 and MCF-7 cell lines. The results showed that transfection rates ranging between 4 and 7% were achieved in FaDu and MDA-MB 231 cells with nanoparticles prepared by the nanoprecipitation method. In MCF-7 cells transfected with nanoparticles prepared by either the double emulsion or the nanoprecipitation method, the transfection efficiency was between 2 and 4%. Nanoparticles prepared by nanoprecipitation were slightly more efficient than nanoparticles prepared from a double emulsion. Particle size was not an important factor for transfection, since no significant difference was observed with size between 50 and 350 nm. We showed that Eudragit® RS and RL nanoparticles could introduce the transgene into different types of cells, but were generally less effective than the lipofectamine control.

An overview of condensing and noncondensing polymeric systems for gene delivery

INTRODUCTIONSelf-assembling synthetic vectors for DNA delivery are designed to fulfill several biological functions. They must be able to deliver their genetic payload specifically to the target tissue/cells in a site-specific manner, while protecting the genetic material from degradation by metabolic or immune pathways. Furthermore, they must exhibit minimal toxicity and be proven safe enough for therapeutic use. Ultimately, they must have the capability to express a therapeutic gene for a finite period of time in an appropriate, regulated fashion. The DNA encapsulated in these vectors may be in a condensed or noncondensed form, depending on the nature of the polymer and the technique used for formulating the vector system. The whole process presents many barriers at both tissue and cellular levels. Overcoming these hurdles is the principal objective for efficient polymer-based DNA therapeutics.