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Shi D, Beasock D, Fessler A, Szebeni J, Ljubimova JY, Afonin KA, Dobrovolskaia MA. To PEGylate or not to PEGylate: Immunological properties of nanomedicine's most popular component, polyethylene glycol and its alternatives. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 180:114079. [PMID: 34902516 PMCID: PMC8899923 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.114079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 71.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Polyethylene glycol or PEG has a long history of use in medicine. Many conventional formulations utilize PEG as either an active ingredient or an excipient. PEG found its use in biotechnology therapeutics as a tool to slow down drug clearance and shield protein therapeutics from undesirable immunogenicity. Nanotechnology field applies PEG to create stealth drug carriers with prolonged circulation time and decreased recognition and clearance by the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS). Most nanomedicines approved for clinical use and experimental nanotherapeutics contain PEG. Among the most recent successful examples are two mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines that are delivered by PEGylated lipid nanoparticles. The breadth of PEG use in a wide variety of over the counter (OTC) medications as well as in drug products and vaccines stimulated research which uncovered that PEG is not as immunologically inert as it was initially expected. Herein, we review the current understanding of PEG's immunological properties and discuss them in the context of synthesis, biodistribution, safety, efficacy, and characterization of PEGylated nanomedicines. We also review the current knowledge about immunological compatibility of other polymers that are being actively investigated as PEG alternatives.
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Key Words
- Poly(ethylene)glycol, PEG, immunogenicity, immunology, nanomedicine, toxicity, anti-PEG antibodies, hypersensitivity, synthesis, drug delivery, biotherapeutics
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Shi
- Nanotechnology Characterization Lab, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick MD, USA
| | - Damian Beasock
- University of North Carolina Charlotte; Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Adam Fessler
- University of North Carolina Charlotte; Charlotte, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | - Marina A. Dobrovolskaia
- Nanotechnology Characterization Lab, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick MD, USA;,Corresponding author:
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Fülöp T, Nemes R, Mészáros T, Urbanics R, Kok RJ, Jackman JA, Cho NJ, Storm G, Szebeni J. Complement activation in vitro and reactogenicity of low-molecular weight dextran-coated SPIONs in the pig CARPA model: Correlation with physicochemical features and clinical information. J Control Release 2017; 270:268-274. [PMID: 29203414 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.11.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The unique magnetic properties of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have led to their increasing use in drug delivery and imaging applications. Some polymer-coated SPIONs, however, share with many other nanoparticles the potential of causing hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) known as complement (C) activation-related pseudoallergy (CARPA). In order to explore the roles of iron core composition and particle surface coating in SPION-induced CARPA, we measured C activation by 6 different SPIONs in a human serum that is known to react to nanoparticles (NPs) with strong C activation. Remarkably, only the carboxymethyldextran-coated (ferucarbotran, Resosvist®) and dextran-coated (ferumoxtran-10, Sinerem®) SPIONs caused significant C activation, while the citric acid, phosphatidylcholine, starch and chitosan-coated SPIONs had no such effect. Focusing on Resovist and Sinerem, we found Sinerem to be a stronger activator of C than Resovist, although the individual variation in 15 different human sera was substantial. Further analysis of C activation by Sinerem indicated biphasic dose dependence and significant production of C split product Bb but not C4d, attesting to alternative pathway C activation only at low doses. Consistent with the strong C activation by Sinerem and previous reports of HSRs in man, injection of Sinerem in a pig led to dose-dependent CARPA, while Resovist was reaction-free. Using nanoparticle tracking analysis, it was further determined that Sinerem, more than Resovist, displayed multimodal size distribution and significant fraction of aggregates - factors which are known to promote C activation and CARPA. Taken together, our findings offer physicochemical insight into how key compositional factors and nanoparticle size distribution affect SPION-induced CARPA, a knowledge that could lead to the development of SPIONs with improved safety profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Fülöp
- Nanomedicine Research and Education Center, Dept. Pathophysiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Dept. Targeted Therapeutics, MIRA Institute, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Réka Nemes
- Dept. Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80082, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tamás Mészáros
- Nanomedicine Research and Education Center, Dept. Pathophysiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Robbert Jan Kok
- Dept. Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80082, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Joshua A Jackman
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, 637553, Singapore
| | - Nam-Joon Cho
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Drive, 637553, Singapore
| | - Gert Storm
- Dept. Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80082, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands; Dept. Targeted Therapeutics, MIRA Institute, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - János Szebeni
- Nanomedicine Research and Education Center, Dept. Pathophysiology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; SeroScience Ltd, Budapest, Hungary; Dept. Nanobiotechnology and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Health, Miskolc University, Budapest, Hungary.
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Comparison of complement activation-related pseudoallergy in miniature and domestic pigs: foundation of a validatable immune toxicity model. NANOMEDICINE-NANOTECHNOLOGY BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2016; 12:933-943. [PMID: 26767512 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2015.12.377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Revised: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Complement activation-related pseudoallergy (CARPA) is an acute adverse immune reaction caused by many nanomedicines. There is a regulatory need for a sensitive and standardizable in vivo predictive assay. While domestic pigs are a sensitive animal model, miniature pigs are favored in toxicological studies yet their utility as a CARPA model has not yet been explored. Herein, we used liposomal doxorubicin and amphotericin B (Doxil/Caelyx and AmBisome), Cremophor EL and zymosan as CARPA triggers to induce reactions in miniature and domestic pigs, and compared the hemodynamic, hematological, biochemical, and skin alterations. The changes observed after administration of the test agents were very similar in both pig strains, suggesting that miniature pigs are a sensitive, reproducible, and, hence, validatable animal model for CARPA regulatory testing. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR With the advances in nanomedicine research, many new agents are now tested for use in clinical setting. Nonetheless, complement activation-related pseudoallergy (CARPA) is a well known phenomenon which can be caused by nanoparticles. In this study, the authors looked at and compared the use of domestic pigs versus miniature pigs as experimental animals for toxicological studies. Their findings confirmed the possible use of miniature pigs for regulatory testing.
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