Leu452His mutation in lipoprotein lipase gene transfer associated with hypertriglyceridemia in mice in vivo

Hydrodynamic Delivery: Characteristics, Applications, and Technological Advances

The principle of hydrodynamic delivery was initially used to develop a method for the delivery of plasmids into mouse hepatocytes through tail vein injection and has been expanded for use in the delivery of various biologically active materials to cells in various organs in a variety of animal species through systemic or local injection, resulting in significant advances in new applications and technological development. The development of regional hydrodynamic delivery directly supports successful gene delivery in large animals, including humans. This review summarizes the fundamentals of hydrodynamic delivery and the progress that has been made in its application. Recent progress in this field offers tantalizing prospects for the development of a new generation of technologies for broader application of hydrodynamic delivery.

Early Subcellular Hepatocellular Alterations in Mice Post Hydrodynamic Transfection: An Explorative Study

Hydrodynamic transfection (HT) or hydrodynamic tail vein injection (HTVi) is among the leading technique that is used to deliver plasmid genes mainly into the liver of live mice or rats. The DNA constructs are composed of coupled plasmids, while one contains the gene of interest that stably integrate into the hepatocyte genome with help of the other consisting sleeping beauty transposase system. The rapid injection of a large volume of DNA-solution through the tail vein induces an acute cardiac congestion that refluxed into the liver, mainly in acinus zone 3, also found through our EM study. Although, HT mediated hydrodynamic force can permeabilizes the fenestrated sinusoidal endothelium of liver, but the mechanism of plasmid incorporation into the hepatocytes remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we have hydrodynamically injected 2 mL volume of empty plasmid (transposon vector) or saline solution (control) into the tail vein of anesthetized C57BL/6J/129Sv mice. Liver tissue was resected at different time points from two animal group conditions, i.e., one time point per animal (1, 5, 10-20, 60 min or 24 and 48 hrs after HT) or multiple time points per animal (0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 min) and quickly fixed with buffered 4% osmium tetroxide. The tissues fed with only saline solution was also resected and fixed in the similar way. EM evaluation from the liver ultrathin sections reveals that swiftly after 1 min, the hepatocytes near to the central venule in the acinus zone 3 shows cytoplasmic membrane-bound vesicles. Such vesicles increased in both numbers and size to vacuoles and precisely often found in the proximity to the nucleus. Further, EM affirm these vacuoles are also optically empty and do not contain any electron dense material. Although, some of the other hepatocytes reveals sign of cell damage including swollen mitochondria, dilated endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and disrupted plasma membrane, but most of the hepatocytes appeared normal. The ultrastructural findings in the mice injected with empty vector or saline injected control mice were similar. Therefore, we have interpreted the vacuole formation as nonspecific endocytosis without specific interactions at the plasma membrane.

Peanut skin extract ameliorates the symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus in mice by alleviating inflammation and maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis

In this study, mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) induced by high-fat diet were used to investigate the antidiabetic effect and mechanism of action of peanut skin extract (PSE). Results revealed that the fasting blood glucose, body weight, and food intake of mice with T2DM significantly decreased after they were given PSE. The effects of 80 mg/kg PSE were similar to those of 140 mg/kg metformin (MET). The glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity of the mice also improved. The composition of intestinal microflora in the mice significantly changed after PSE administration. In particular, no Actinobacteria was detected in the PSE-treated group, and the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes was remarkably reduced. PSE also increased the abundance of gut microbiota involved in fatty acid biosynthesis, lipid biosynthesis, and sucrose metabolism. The abundance of gut microbiota related to aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis also decreased. Lipopolysaccharide, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in the blood, liver and adipose tissue were reduced by PSE. Similarly, the mRNA expression levels of IkappaB kinase and nuclear factor kappaB in the hypothalamus were reduced by PSE. These results suggested that PSE and MET elicited significant antidiabetic effects by maintaining gut microbiota and inhibiting inflammation.

Mixture of Peanut Skin Extract and Fish Oil Improves Memory in Mice via Modulation of Anti-Oxidative Stress and Regulation of BDNF/ERK/CREB Signaling Pathways

Long-term use of fish oil (FO) is known to induce oxidative stress and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. In the present study, peanut skin extract (PSE), which has strong antioxidant capacity, was mixed with FO to reduce its side effects while maintaining its beneficial properties. Twelve-week Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were used to conduct animal behavior tests in order to evaluate the memory-enhancing ability of the mixture of peanut skin extract and fish oil (MPF). MPF significantly increased alternations in the Y-maze and cognitive index in the novel object recognition test. MPF also improved performance in the water maze test. We further sought to understand the mechanisms underlying these effects. A significant decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and an increase in malonyldialdehyde (MDA) in plasma were observed in the FO group. The MPF group showed reduced MDA level and increased SOD activity in the plasma, cortex and hippocampus. Furthermore, the gene expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) in the hippocampus were increased in the MPF group, while phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and CREB in the hippocampus were enhanced. MPF improves memory in mice via modulation of anti-oxidative stress and activation of BDNF/ERK/CREB signaling pathways.

Image-Guided Hydrodynamic Gene Delivery: Current Status and Future Directions

Hydrodynamics-based delivery has been used as an experimental tool to express transgene in small animals. This in vivo gene transfer method is useful for functional analysis of genetic elements, therapeutic effect of oligonucleotides, and cancer cells to establish the metastatic cancer animal model for experimental research. Recent progress in the development of image-guided procedure for hydrodynamics-based gene delivery in large animals directly supports the clinical applicability of this technique. This review summarizes the current status and recent progress in the development of hydrodynamics-based gene delivery and discusses the future directions for its clinical application.

Hydrodynamic delivery

Hydrodynamic delivery (HD) is a broadly used procedure for DNA and RNA delivery in rodents, serving as a powerful tool for gene/protein drug discovery, gene function analysis, target validation, and identification of elements in regulating gene expression in vivo. HD involves a pressurized injection of a large volume of solution into a vasculature. New procedures are being developed to satisfy the need for a safe and efficient gene delivery in clinic. Here, we summarize the fundamentals of HD, its applications, and future perspectives for clinical use.