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Eweje F, Walsh ML, Ahmad K, Ibrahim V, Alrefai A, Chen J, Chaikof EL. Protein-based nanoparticles for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery. Biomaterials 2024; 305:122464. [PMID: 38181574 PMCID: PMC10872380 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122464] [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: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
To realize the full potential of emerging nucleic acid therapies, there is a need for effective delivery agents to transport cargo to cells of interest. Protein materials exhibit several unique properties, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, ease of functionalization via recombinant and chemical modifications, among other features, which establish a promising basis for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery systems. In this review, we highlight progress made in the use of non-viral protein-based nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery in vitro and in vivo, while elaborating on key physicochemical properties that have enabled the use of these materials for nanoparticle formulation and drug delivery. To conclude, we comment on the prospects and unresolved challenges associated with the translation of protein-based nucleic acid delivery systems for therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feyisayo Eweje
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; Harvard and MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA; Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program, Boston, MA, USA, 02115; Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Michelle L Walsh
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; Harvard and MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA; Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program, Boston, MA, USA, 02115
| | - Kiran Ahmad
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Vanessa Ibrahim
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Assma Alrefai
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jiaxuan Chen
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Elliot L Chaikof
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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2
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Aranda-Barradas ME, Coronado-Contreras HE, Aguilar-Castañeda YL, Olivo-Escalante KD, González-Díaz FR, García-Tovar CG, Álvarez-Almazán S, Miranda-Castro SP, Del Real-López A, Méndez-Albores A. Effect of Different Karyophilic Peptides on Physical Characteristics and In Vitro Transfection Efficiency of Chitosan-Plasmid Nanoparticles as Nonviral Gene Delivery Systems. Mol Biotechnol 2024:10.1007/s12033-024-01087-9. [PMID: 38400988 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-024-01087-9] [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: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
A strategy to increase the transfection efficiency of chitosan-based nanoparticles for gene therapy is by adding nuclear localization signals through karyophilic peptides. Here, the effect of the length and sequence of these peptides and their interaction with different plasmids on the physical characteristics and biological functionality of nanoparticles is reported. The karyophilic peptides (P1 or P2) were used to assemble nanoparticles by complex coacervation with pEGFP-N1, pQBI25 or pSelect-Zeo-HSV1-tk plasmids, and chitosan. Size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and morphology, as well as in vitro nucleus internalization and transfection capability of nanoparticles were determined. The P2 nanoparticles resulted smaller compared to the ones without peptides or P1 for the three plasmids. In general, the addition of either P1 or P2 did not have a significant impact on the polydispersity index and the zeta potential. P1 and P2 nanoparticles were localized in the nucleus after 30 min of exposure to HeLa cells. Nevertheless, the presence of P2 in pEGFP-N1 and pQBI25 nanoparticles raised their capability to transfect and express the green fluorescent protein. Thus, karyophilic peptides are an efficient tool for the optimization of nonviral vectors for gene delivery; however, the sequence and length of peptides have an impact on characteristics and functionality of nanoparticles.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Eugenia Aranda-Barradas
- Unidad de Posgrado L4 (Laboratorio de Biotecnología), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 1, Av. 1o. De Mayo S/N Sta. María las Torres, 54740, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México.
| | - Héctor Eduardo Coronado-Contreras
- Unidad de Posgrado L4 (Laboratorio de Biotecnología), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 1, Av. 1o. De Mayo S/N Sta. María las Torres, 54740, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México
| | - Yareli Lizbeth Aguilar-Castañeda
- Unidad de Posgrado L4 (Laboratorio de Biotecnología), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 1, Av. 1o. De Mayo S/N Sta. María las Torres, 54740, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México
| | - Karen Donají Olivo-Escalante
- Unidad de Posgrado L4 (Laboratorio de Biotecnología), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 1, Av. 1o. De Mayo S/N Sta. María las Torres, 54740, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México
| | - Francisco Rodolfo González-Díaz
- Unidad de Investigación Multidisciplinaria L4 (Morfología Veterinaria y Biología Celular), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 4, Carretera Cuautitlán-Teoloyucan, Km 2.5 San Sebastián Xhala, 54714, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México
| | - Carlos Gerardo García-Tovar
- Unidad de Investigación Multidisciplinaria L4 (Morfología Veterinaria y Biología Celular), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 4, Carretera Cuautitlán-Teoloyucan, Km 2.5 San Sebastián Xhala, 54714, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México
| | - Samuel Álvarez-Almazán
- Unidad de Posgrado L4 (Laboratorio de Biotecnología), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 1, Av. 1o. De Mayo S/N Sta. María las Torres, 54740, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México
| | - Susana Patricia Miranda-Castro
- Unidad de Posgrado L4 (Laboratorio de Biotecnología), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 1, Av. 1o. De Mayo S/N Sta. María las Torres, 54740, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México
| | - Alicia Del Real-López
- Centro de Física Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Blvd. Juriquilla 3001, Juriquilla La Mesa, 76230, Santiago de Querétaro, México
| | - Abraham Méndez-Albores
- Unidad de Investigación Multidisciplinaria L14-A1 (Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán Campus 4, Carretera Cuautitlán-Teoloyucan, Km 2.5 San Sebastián Xhala, 54714, Cuautitlán Izcalli, México
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Padmakumar S, D'Souza A, Parayath NN, Bleier BS, Amiji MM. Nucleic acid therapies for CNS diseases: Pathophysiology, targets, barriers, and delivery strategies. J Control Release 2022; 352:121-145. [PMID: 36252748 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.10.018] [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: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acid therapeutics have emerged as one of the very advanced and efficacious treatment approaches for debilitating health conditions, including those diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Precise targeting with an optimal control over gene regulation confers long-lasting benefits through the administration of nucleic acid payloads via viral, non-viral, and engineered vectors. The current review majorly focuses on the development and clinical translational potential of non-viral vectors for treating CNS diseases with a focus on their specific design and targeting approaches. These carriers must be able to surmount the various intracellular and extracellular barriers, to ensure successful neuronal transfection and ultimately attain higher therapeutic efficacies. Additionally, the specific challenges associated with CNS administration also include the presence of blood-brain barrier (BBB), the complex pathophysiological and biochemical changes associated with different disease conditions and the existence of non-dividing cells. The advantages offered by lipid-based or polymeric systems, engineered proteins, particle-based systems coupled with various approaches of neuronal targeting have been discussed in the context of a variety of CNS diseases. The possibilities of rapid yet highly efficient gene modifications rendered by the breakthrough methodologies for gene editing and gene manipulation have also opened vast avenues of research in neuroscience and CNS disease therapy. The current review also underscores the extensive scientific efforts to optimize specialized, efficacious yet non-invasive and safer administration approaches to overcome the therapeutic delivery challenges specifically posed by the CNS transport barriers and the overall obstacles to clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smrithi Padmakumar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anisha D'Souza
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 20115, USA
| | - Neha N Parayath
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Benjamin S Bleier
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 20115, USA
| | - Mansoor M Amiji
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Wang H, Qin L, Zhang X, Guan J, Mao S. Mechanisms and challenges of nanocarriers as non-viral vectors of therapeutic genes for enhanced pulmonary delivery. J Control Release 2022; 352:970-993. [PMID: 36372386 PMCID: PMC9671523 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.10.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
With the rapid development of biopharmaceuticals and the outbreak of COVID-19, the world has ushered in a frenzy to develop gene therapy. Therefore, therapeutic genes have received enormous attention. However, due to the extreme instability and low intracellular gene expression of naked genes, specific vectors are required. Viral vectors are widely used attributed to their high transfection efficiency. However, due to the safety concerns of viral vectors, nanotechnology-based non-viral vectors have attracted extensive investigation. Still, issues of low transfection efficiency and poor tissue targeting of non-viral vectors need to be addressed. Especially, pulmonary gene delivery has obvious advantages for the treatment of inherited lung diseases, lung cancer, and viral pneumonia, which can not only enhance lung targeting and but also reduce enzymatic degradation. For systemic diseases therapy, pulmonary gene delivery can enhance vaccine efficacy via inducing not only cellular, humoral immunity but also mucosal immunity. This review provides a comprehensive overview of nanocarriers as non-viral vectors of therapeutic genes for enhanced pulmonary delivery. First of all, the characteristics and therapeutic mechanism of DNA, mRNA, and siRNA are provided. Thereafter, the advantages and challenges of pulmonary gene delivery in exerting local and systemic effects are discussed. Then, the inhalation dosage forms for nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems are introduced. Moreover, a series of materials used as nanocarriers for pulmonary gene delivery are presented, and the endosomal escape mechanisms of nanocarriers based on different materials are explored. The application of various non-viral vectors for pulmonary gene delivery are summarized in detail, with the perspectives of nano-vectors for pulmonary gene delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Xin Zhang
- Corresponding authors at: School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, 110016 Shenyang, China
| | | | - Shirui Mao
- Corresponding authors at: School of Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, 110016 Shenyang, China
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Feng R, Ni R, Chau Y. Fusogenic peptide modification to enhance gene delivery by peptide-DNA nano-coassemblies. Biomater Sci 2022; 10:5116-5120. [PMID: 35975695 DOI: 10.1039/d2bm00705c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Endosomal escape is a major obstacle for non-viral nucleic acids delivery. Here, we attached by click reaction a fusogenic peptide (L17E) onto peptide self-assembled disks (∼17 nm), which mimicked the functional subunits of the virus capsid. These peptide disks then spontaneously co-assembled with DNA to form patterned nanostructures (∼100 nm) as viral mimics. This modification did not affect the cellular uptake but enhanced endosomal escape and led to improved transfection in cell culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruilu Feng
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Rong Ni
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong. .,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Ying Chau
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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New Advances in Biomedical Application of Polymeric Micelles. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14081700. [PMID: 36015325 PMCID: PMC9416043 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14081700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, nanomedicine has arisen as an emergent area of medicine, which studies nanometric systems, namely polymeric micelles (PMs), that increase the solubility and the stability of the encapsulated drugs. Furthermore, their application in dermal drug delivery is also relevant. PMs present unique characteristics because of their unique core-shell architecture. They are colloidal dispersions of amphiphilic compounds, which self-assemble in an aqueous medium, giving a structure-type core-shell, with a hydrophobic core (that can encapsulate hydrophobic drugs), and a hydrophilic shell, which works as a stabilizing agent. These features offer PMs adequate steric protection and determine their hydrophilicity, charge, length, and surface density properties. Furthermore, due to their small size, PMs can be absorbed by the intestinal mucosa with the drug, and they transport the drug in the bloodstream until the therapeutic target. Moreover, PMs improve the pharmacokinetic profile of the encapsulated drug, present high load capacity, and are synthesized by a reproducible, easy, and low-cost method. In silico approaches have been explored to improve the physicochemical properties of PMs. Based on this, a computer-aided strategy was developed and validated to enable the delivery of poorly soluble drugs and established critical physicochemical parameters to maximize drug loading, formulation stability, and tumor exposure. Poly(2-oxazoline) (POx)-based PMs display unprecedented high loading concerning water-insoluble drugs and over 60 drugs have been incorporated in POx PMs. Among various stimuli, pH and temperature are the most widely studied for enhanced drug release at the site of action. Researchers are focusing on dual (pH and temperature) responsive PMs for controlled and improved drug release at the site of action. These dual responsive systems are mainly evaluated for cancer therapy as certain malignancies can cause a slight increase in temperature and a decrease in the extracellular pH around the tumor site. This review is a compilation of updated therapeutic applications of PMs, such as PMs that are based on Pluronics®, micelleplexes and Pox-based PMs in several biomedical applications.
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Tarvirdipour S, Skowicki M, Schoenenberger CA, Kapinos LE, Lim R, Benenson Y, Palivan CG. A self-assembling peptidic platform to boost the cellular uptake and nuclear delivery of oligonucleotides. Biomater Sci 2022; 10:4309-4323. [DOI: 10.1039/d2bm00826b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The design of non-viral vectors that efficiently deliver genetic materials into cells, in particular to the nucleus, remains a major challenge in gene therapy and vaccine development. To tackle the...
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Geng J, Xia X, Teng L, Wang L, Chen L, Guo X, Belingon B, Li J, Feng X, Li X, Shang W, Wan Y, Wang H. Emerging landscape of cell-penetrating peptide-mediated nucleic acid delivery and their utility in imaging, gene-editing, and RNA-sequencing. J Control Release 2022; 341:166-183. [PMID: 34822907 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The safety issues like immunogenicity and unacceptable cancer risk of viral vectors for DNA/mRNA vaccine delivery necessitate the development of non-viral vectors with no toxicity. Among the non-viral strategies, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been a topic of interest recently because of their ability to cross plasma membranes and facilitate nucleic acids delivery both in vivo and in vitro. In addition to the application in the field of gene vaccine and gene therapy, CPPs based nucleic acids delivery have been proved by its potential application like gene editing, RNA-sequencing, and imaging. Here, we focus on summarizing the recent applications and progress of CPPs-mediated nucleic acids delivery and discuss the current problems and solutions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingping Geng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Xuan Xia
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Lin Teng
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Clinical Medical College of China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Lidan Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Linlin Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Affiliated Ren He Hospital of China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Xiangli Guo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Bonn Belingon
- Institute of Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21210, USA
| | - Jason Li
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21210, USA
| | - Xuemei Feng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Xianghui Li
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Wendou Shang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Yingying Wan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Hu Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China.
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