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Bauer T, Alberg I, Zengerling LA, Besenius P, Koynov K, Slütter B, Zentel R, Que I, Zhang H, Barz M. Tuning the Cross-Linking Density and Cross-Linker in Core Cross-Linked Polymeric Micelles and Its Effects on the Particle Stability in Human Blood Plasma and Mice. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:3545-3556. [PMID: 37449781 PMCID: PMC10428167 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Core cross-linked polymeric micelles (CCPMs) are designed to improve the therapeutic profile of hydrophobic drugs, reduce or completely avoid protein corona formation, and offer prolonged circulation times, a prerequisite for passive or active targeting. In this study, we tuned the CCPM stability by using bifunctional or trifunctional cross-linkers and varying the cross-linkable polymer block length. For CCPMs, amphiphilic thiol-reactive polypept(o)ides of polysarcosine-block-poly(S-ethylsulfonyl-l-cysteine) [pSar-b-pCys(SO2Et)] were employed. While the pCys(SO2Et) chain lengths varied from Xn = 17 to 30, bivalent (derivatives of dihydrolipoic acid) and trivalent (sarcosine/cysteine pentapeptide) cross-linkers have been applied. Asymmetrical flow field-flow fraction (AF4) displayed the absence of aggregates in human plasma, yet for non-cross-linked PM and CCPMs cross-linked with dihydrolipoic acid at [pCys(SO2Et)]17, increasing the cross-linking density or the pCys(SO2Et) chain lengths led to stable CCPMs. Interestingly, circulation time and biodistribution in mice of non-cross-linked and bivalently cross-linked CCPMs are comparable, while the trivalent peptide cross-linkers enhance the circulation half-life from 11 to 19 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias
A. Bauer
- Leiden
Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Irina Alberg
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Lydia A. Zengerling
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Pol Besenius
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Kaloian Koynov
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Bram Slütter
- Leiden
Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rudolf Zentel
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Ivo Que
- Translational
Nanobiomaterials and Imaging Group, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333
ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Heyang Zhang
- Leiden
Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias Barz
- Leiden
Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department
of Dermatology, University Medical Center
of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
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Benavides I, Raftery ED, Bell AG, Evans D, Scott WA, Houk KN, Deming TJ. Poly(dehydroalanine): Synthesis, Properties, and Functional Diversification of a Fluorescent Polypeptide. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:4214-4223. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Benavides
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Eric D. Raftery
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Alexandra G. Bell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Declan Evans
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Wendell A. Scott
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - K. N. Houk
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Timothy J. Deming
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
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Capelôa L, Yazdi M, Zhang H, Chen X, Nie Y, Wagner E, Lächelt U, Barz M. Cross-linkable Polyion Complex Micelles from Polypept(o)ide-based ABC-triblock Copolymers for siRNA Delivery. Macromol Rapid Commun 2021; 43:e2100698. [PMID: 34967473 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202100698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
ABC-type triblock copolymers are a rising platform especially for oligonucleotide delivery as they offer an additional functionality beside the anyhow needed functions of shielding and complexation. We present a polypept(o)ide-based triblock copolymer synthesized by amine-initiated ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs), comprising a shielding block A of polysarcosine (pSar), a poly(S-ethylsulfonyl-l-cystein) (pCys(SO2 Et)) block B for bioreversible and chemo-selective cross-linking and a poly(l-lysine) (pLys) block C for complexation to construct polyion complex (PIC) micelles as vehicle for small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. We investigated the self-assembly behavior of ABC-type triblocks to derive correlations between block lengths of the polymer and PIC micelle structure, showing an enormous effect of the β-sheet forming pCys(SO2 Et) block. Moreover, the block enables the introduction of disulfide cross-links by reaction with multifunctional thiols to increase stability against dilution. The right content of the additional block leads to well-defined cross-linked 50-60 nm PIC micelles purified from production impurities and determinable siRNA loading. These PIC micelles can deliver functional siRNA into Neuro2A and KB cells evaluated by cellular uptake and specific gene knockdown assays. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon Capelôa
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einstein weg 55, Leiden, 2333CC, The Netherlands.,Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Obere Zahlbacher Straße 63, Mainz, 55131, Germany
| | - Mina Yazdi
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - Heyang Zhang
- Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einstein weg 55, Leiden, 2333CC, The Netherlands
| | - Xiaobing Chen
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, P.R. China
| | - Yu Nie
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, P.R. China
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, LMU Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Munich, 81377, Germany
| | - Ulrich Lächelt
- Division of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Matthias Barz
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einstein weg 55, Leiden, 2333CC, The Netherlands.,Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Obere Zahlbacher Straße 63, Mainz, 55131, Germany
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Zheng B, Bai T, Tao X, Ling J. An Inspection into Multifarious Ways to Synthesize Poly(Amino Acid)s. Macromol Rapid Commun 2021; 42:e2100453. [PMID: 34562289 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202100453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Poly(α-amino acid)s (PAAs) attract growing attention due to their essential role in the application as biomaterials. To synthesize PAAs with desired structures and properties, scientists have developed various synthetic techniques with respective advantages. Here, different approaches to preparing PAAs are inspected. Basic features and recent progresses of these methods are summarized, including polymerizations of amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs), amino acid N-thiocarboxyanhydrides (NTAs), and N-phenoxycarbonyl amino acids (NPCs), as well as other synthetic routes. NCA is the most classical monomer to prepare PAAs with high molecular weights (MWs). NTA polymerizations are promising alternative pathways to produce PAAs, which can tolerate nucleophiles including alcohols, mercaptans, carboxyl acids, and water. By various techniques including choosing appropriate solvents or using organic acids as promoters, NTAs polymerize to produce polypeptoids and polypeptides with narrow dispersities and designed MWs up to 55.0 and 57.0 kg mol-1 , respectively. NPC polymerizations are phosgene-free ways to synthesize polypeptides and polypeptoids. For the future prospects, detail investigations into polymerization mechanisms of NTA and NPC are expected. The synthesis of PAAs with designed topologies and assembly structures is another intriguing topic. The advantages and unsettled problems in various synthetic ways are discussed for readers to choose appropriate approaches for PAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Botuo Zheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.,Fujian Key Laboratory of Polymer Science, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Tianwen Bai
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Xinfeng Tao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China
| | - Jun Ling
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
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Bauer T, Imschweiler J, Muhl C, Weber B, Barz M. Secondary Structure-Driven Self-Assembly of Thiol-Reactive Polypept(o)ides. Biomacromolecules 2021; 22:2171-2180. [PMID: 33830742 PMCID: PMC8154267 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c00253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Secondary structure formation differentiates polypeptides from most of the other synthetic polymers, and the transitions from random coils to rod-like α-helices or β-sheets represent an additional parameter to direct self-assembly and the morphology of nanostructures. We investigated the influence of distinct secondary structures on the self-assembly of reactive amphiphilic polypept(o)ides. The individual morphologies can be preserved by core cross-linking via chemoselective disulfide bond formation. A series of thiol-responsive copolymers of racemic polysarcosine-block-poly(S-ethylsulfonyl-dl-cysteine) (pSar-b-p(dl)Cys), enantiopure polysarcosine-block-poly(S-ethylsulfonyl-l-cysteine) (pSar-b-p(l)Cys), and polysarcosine-block-poly(S-ethylsulfonyl-l-homocysteine) (pSar-b-p(l)Hcy) was prepared by N-carboxyanhydride polymerization. The secondary structure of the peptide segment varies from α-helices (pSar-b-p(l)Hcy) to antiparallel β-sheets (pSar-b-p(l)Cys) and disrupted β-sheets (pSar-b-p(dl)Cys). When subjected to nanoprecipitation, copolymers with antiparallel β-sheets display the strongest tendency to self-assemble, whereas disrupted β-sheets hardly induce aggregation. This translates to worm-like micelles, solely spherical micelles, or ellipsoidal structures, as analyzed by atomic force microscopy and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, which underlines the potential of secondary structure-driven self-assembly of synthetic polypeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias
A. Bauer
- Leiden
Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jan Imschweiler
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Christian Muhl
- Leiden
Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Benjamin Weber
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Matthias Barz
- Leiden
Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department
of Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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