1
|
Scotland BL, Dharmaraj S, Cottingham AL, Truong N, Chapoval SP, Keegan AD, Pearson RM. Impact of antigen loading in tolerogenic nanoparticles to mitigate Th2-mediated allergic lung inflammation. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2024:10.1007/s13346-024-01632-8. [PMID: 38862755 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-024-01632-8] [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] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Allergic disease is a major global health concern that imposes significant life-altering and economic burdens on affected individuals. However, there is still no cure. Polymer-based nanoparticles (NP) have shown the potential to induce antigen (Ag)-specific immune tolerance in various Th1/17 and Th2-mediated immune disorders including autoimmunity and allergy. Common methods by which Ags are associated with NPs are through surface conjugation or encapsulation. However, these Ag delivery strategies can be associated with several caveats that dampen their effectiveness such as uncontrolled Ag loading, a high Ag burst release, and an increased immune recognition profile. We previously developed Ag-polymer conjugate NPs (acNPs) to overcome those noted limitations, while allowing for controlled delivery of precise quantities of Ag to innate immune cells for Ag-specific CD4 T cell modulation. Here, we utilized ovalbumin (OVA) protein-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) conjugate NPs (acNP-OVA) to elucidate the impact of Ag loading on the induction of Th2 tolerance using a prophylactic and therapeutic OVA/ALUM-induced mouse model of allergic lung inflammation (ALI) in comparison to Ag-encapsulated PLGA NPs (NP(Ag)). We demonstrate that acNP-OVA formulations reduced OVA-specific IgE and inhibited Th2 cytokine secretions in an Ag loading-dependent manner when administered prophylactically. Administration of acNP-OVA to pre-sensitized mice did not affect OVA-specific IgE and Th2 cytokines tended to be reduced, however, there was no clear Ag loading dependency. acNP-OVA with medium-to-low Ag loadings were well tolerated, while formulations with high Ag loadings, including NP(Ag) resulted in anaphylaxis. Overall, our results clarify the relationship between Ag loading and Ag-specific IgE and Th2 cytokine responses in a murine model of ALI, which provides insight useful for future design of tolerogenic NP-based immunotherapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L Scotland
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Shruti Dharmaraj
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Andrea L Cottingham
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Nhu Truong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Svetlana P Chapoval
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 800 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Achsah D Keegan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 800 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Ryan M Pearson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kenison JE, Stevens NA, Quintana FJ. Therapeutic induction of antigen-specific immune tolerance. Nat Rev Immunol 2024; 24:338-357. [PMID: 38086932 PMCID: PMC11145724 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-023-00970-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
The development of therapeutic approaches for the induction of robust, long-lasting and antigen-specific immune tolerance remains an important unmet clinical need for the management of autoimmunity, allergy, organ transplantation and gene therapy. Recent breakthroughs in our understanding of immune tolerance mechanisms have opened new research avenues and therapeutic opportunities in this area. Here, we review mechanisms of immune tolerance and novel methods for its therapeutic induction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Kenison
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nikolas A Stevens
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Noel JC, Lagassé D, Golding B, Sauna ZE. Emerging approaches to induce immune tolerance to therapeutic proteins. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2023; 44:1028-1042. [PMID: 37903706 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2023.10.002] [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: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Immunogenicity affects the safety and efficacy of therapeutic proteins. This review is focused on approaches for inducing immunological tolerance to circumvent the immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins in the clinic. The few immune tolerance strategies that are used in the clinic tend to be inefficient and expensive and typically involve global immunosuppression, putting patients at risk of infections. The hallmark of a desirable immune tolerance regimen is the specific alleviation of immune responses to the therapeutic protein. In the past decade, proof-of-principle studies have demonstrated that emerging technologies, including nanoparticle-based delivery of immunomodulators, cellular targeting and depletion, cellular engineering, gene therapy, and gene editing, can be leveraged to promote tolerance to therapeutic proteins. We discuss the potential of these novel approaches and the barriers that need to be overcome for translation into the clinic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justine C Noel
- Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Daniel Lagassé
- Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Basil Golding
- Division of Plasma Derivatives, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Zuben E Sauna
- Division of Hemostasis, Office of Plasma Protein Therapeutics, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Scotland BL, Cottingham AL, Lasola JJM, Hoag SW, Pearson RM. Development of protein-polymer conjugate nanoparticles for modulation of dendritic cell phenotype and antigen-specific CD4 T cell responses. ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS 2023; 5:8794-8807. [PMID: 38911349 PMCID: PMC11192461 DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.3c00548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) comprised of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) have found success in modulating antigen (Ag)-specific T cell responses for the treatment multiple immunological diseases. Common methods by which Ags are associated with NPs are through encapsulation and surface conjugation; however, these methods suffer from several limitations, including uncontrolled Ag loading, burst release, and potential immune recognition. To overcome these limitations and study the relationship between NP design parameters and modulation of innate and Ag-specific adaptive immune cell responses, we developed ovalbumin (OVA) protein-PLGA bioconjugate NPs (acNP-OVA). OVA was first modified by conjugation with multiple PLGA polymers to synthesize OVA-PLGA conjugates, followed by precise combination with unmodified PLGA to form acNP-OVA with well-defined Ag loadings, reduced burst release, and reduced antibody recognition. Expression of MHC II, CD80, and CD86 on bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) increased as a function of acNP-OVA Ag loading. NanoString studies using BMDCs showed that PLGA NPs generally induced anti-inflammatory gene expression profiles independent of the Ag delivery method, where S100a9, Sell, and Ppbp were most significantly reduced. Co-culture studies using acNP-OVA-treated BMDCs and OT-II CD4+ T cells revealed that Ag-specific T cell activation, expansion, and differentiation were dependent on Ag loading and formulation parameters. CD25 expression was induced using acNP-OVA with the lowest Ag loading; however, the induction of robust CD4+ T cell proliferative and cytokine responses required acNP-OVA formulations with higher Ag loading, which was supported using a regulatory T cell (Treg) induction assay. The distinct differences in Ag loading required to achieve various T cell responses supported the concept of an Ag loading threshold for Ag-specific immunotherapy. We anticipate this work will help guide NP designs and aid in the future development of NP-based immunotherapies for Ag-specific immunomodulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brianna L. Scotland
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Andrea L. Cottingham
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Jackline Joy M. Lasola
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Stephen W. Hoag
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Ryan M. Pearson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang MH, Scotland BL, Jiao Y, Slaby EM, Truong N, Cottingham AL, Stephanie G, Szeto GL, Pearson RM. Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles Utilize B Cells and Dendritic Cells to Elicit Distinct Antigen-Specific CD4 + and CD8 + T Cell Responses. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2023:10.1021/acsabm.3c00229. [PMID: 37219857 PMCID: PMC10665545 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c00229] [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] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are widely studied for treating immune-mediated diseases, and dendritic cells (DCs) are potent APCs that uptake and present antigens (Ags). However, DCs face several challenges that hinder their clinical translation due to their inability to control Ag dosing and low abundance in peripheral blood. B cells are a potential alternative to DCs, but their poor nonspecific Ag uptake capabilities compromise controllable priming of T cells. Here, we developed phospholipid-conjugated Ags (L-Ags) and lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (L/P-Ag NPs) as delivery platforms to expand the range of accessible APCs for use in T cell priming. These delivery platforms were evaluated using DCs, CD40-activated B cells, and resting B cells to understand the impacts of various Ag delivery mechanisms for generation of Ag-specific T cell responses. L-Ag delivery (termed depoting) of MHC class I- and II-restricted Ags successfully loaded all APC types in a tunable manner and primed both Ag-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells, respectively. Incorporating L-Ags and polymer-conjugated Ags (P-Ag) into NPs can direct Ags to different uptake pathways to engineer the dynamics of presentation and shape T cell responses. DCs were capable of processing and presenting Ag delivered from both L- and P-Ag NPs, yet B cells could only utilize Ag delivered from L-Ag NPs, which led to differential cytokine secretion profiles in coculture studies. Altogether, we show that L-Ags and P-Ags can be rationally paired within a single NP to leverage distinct delivery mechanisms to access multiple Ag processing pathways in two APC types, offering a modular delivery platform for engineering Ag-specific immunotherapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael H. Zhang
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
- Co-first authors
| | - Brianna L. Scotland
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
- Co-first authors
| | - Yun Jiao
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
| | - Emily M. Slaby
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
| | - Nhu Truong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Andrea L. Cottingham
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Georgina Stephanie
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
| | - Gregory L. Szeto
- Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250
- Allen Institute for Immunology, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Ryan M. Pearson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201
- University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21201
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Chakraborty A, Dharmaraj S, Truong N, Pearson RM. Excipient-Free Ionizable Polyester Nanoparticles for Lung-Selective and Innate Immune Cell Plasmid DNA and mRNA Transfection. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:56440-56453. [PMID: 36525379 PMCID: PMC9872050 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c14424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Extrahepatic nucleic acid delivery using polymers typically requires the synthesis and purification of custom monomers, post-synthetic modifications, and incorporation of additional excipients to augment their stability, endosomal escape, and in vivo effectiveness. Here, we report the development of a single-component and excipient-free, polyester-based nucleic acid delivery nanoparticle platform comprising ionizable N-methyldiethanolamine (MDET) and various hydrophobic alkyl diols (Cp) that achieves lung-selective nucleic acid transfection in vivo. PolyMDET and polyMDET-Cp polyplexes displayed high serum and enzymatic stability, while delivering pDNA or mRNA to "hard-to-transfect" innate immune cells. PolyMDET-C4 and polyMDET-C6 mediated high protein expression in lung alveolar macrophages and dendritic cells without inducing tissue damage or systemic inflammatory responses. Improved strategies using readily available starting materials to produce a simple, excipient-free, non-viral nucleic acid delivery platform with lung-selective and innate immune cell tropism has the potential to expedite clinical deployment of polymer-based genetic medicines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Atanu Chakraborty
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
| | - Shruti Dharmaraj
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
| | - Nhu Truong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
| | - Ryan M Pearson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine Street, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 22 S. Greene Street, Baltimore, Maryland21201, United States
| |
Collapse
|