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Jiang J, Liu J, Liu X, Xu X, Liu Z, Huang S, Huang X, Yao C, Wang X, Chen Y, Chen HJ, Wang J, Xie X. Coupling of nanostraws with diverse physicochemical perforation strategies for intracellular DNA delivery. J Nanobiotechnology 2024; 22:131. [PMID: 38532389 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-024-02392-w] [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: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Effective intracellular DNA transfection is imperative for cell-based therapy and gene therapy. Conventional gene transfection methods, including biochemical carriers, physical electroporation and microinjection, face challenges such as cell type dependency, low efficiency, safety concerns, and technical complexity. Nanoneedle arrays have emerged as a promising avenue for improving cellular nucleic acid delivery through direct penetration of the cell membrane, bypassing endocytosis and endosome escape processes. Nanostraws (NS), characterized by their hollow tubular structure, offer the advantage of flexible solution delivery compared to solid nanoneedles. However, NS struggle to stably self-penetrate the cell membrane, resulting in limited delivery efficiency. Coupling with extra physiochemical perforation strategies is a viable approach to improve their performance. This study systematically compared the efficiency of NS coupled with polyethylenimine (PEI) chemical modification, mechanical force, photothermal effect, and electric field on cell membrane perforation and DNA transfection. The results indicate that coupling NS with PEI modification, mechanical force, photothermal effects provide limited enhancement effects. In contrast, NS-electric field coupling significantly improves intracellular DNA transfection efficiency. This work demonstrates that NS serve as a versatile platform capable of integrating various physicochemical strategies, while electric field coupling stands out as a form worthy of primary consideration for efficient DNA transfection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Jiang
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Republic of China
| | - Jing Liu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Republic of China
| | - Xinmin Liu
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Republic of China
| | - Xingyuan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Republic of China
| | - Zhengjie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Republic of China
| | - Shuang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Republic of China
| | - Xinshuo Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Republic of China
| | - Chuanjie Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Republic of China
| | - Xiafeng Wang
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Republic of China
| | - Yixin Chen
- Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangzhou, 510080, Republic of China
| | - Hui-Jiuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Republic of China.
| | - Ji Wang
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Republic of China.
| | - Xi Xie
- Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, Republic of China.
- State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, Republic of China.
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Dastgerdi NK, Gumus N, Bayraktutan H, Jackson D, Polra K, McKay PF, Atyabi F, Dinarvand R, Shattock RJ, Martinez-Pomares L, Gurnani P, Alexander C. Charge neutralized poly(β-amino ester) polyplex nanoparticles for delivery of self-amplifying RNA. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2024; 6:1409-1422. [PMID: 38419881 PMCID: PMC10898429 DOI: 10.1039/d3na00794d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Therapeutic self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) is a promising approach for disease treatment, as it can be administered in lower doses than messenger RNA (mRNA) to achieve comparable protein production levels. However, saRNA requires an appropriate delivery vehicle to protect it during transit and facilitate its transfection. A widely-adopted approach has been to use polycations to condense these large anionic macromolecules into polyplex nanoparticles, however their high charge density often elicits cytotoxic effects. In this study we postulated that we could improve the potency and tolerability of such delivery vehicles by co-formulating poly(β-amino ester)s saRNA polyplexes with a non-toxic anionic polymer, γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) to neutralize partially this positive charge. Accordingly, we prepared a poly(β-amino ester) from 1,6-hexanedioldiacrylate (HDDA) and 4-aminobutanol (ABOL) and initially evaluated the physicochemical properties of the binary polyplexes (i.e. formed from polymer and saRNA only). Optimised binary polyplex formulations were then taken forward for preparation of ternary complexes containing pHDDA-ABOL, saRNA and γ-PGA. Our findings demonstrate that γ-PGA integration into polyplexes significantly enhanced transfection efficacy in HEK293T and A431 cells without affecting polyplex size. Notably, γ-PGA incorporation leads to a pronounced reduction in zeta potential, which reduced the toxicity of the ternary complexes in moDC, NIH3T3, and A431 cells. Furthermore, the presence of γ-PGA contributed to colloidal stability, reducing aggregation of the ternary complexes, as evidenced by insignificant changes in polydispersity index (PDI) after freeze-thaw cycles. Overall, these results suggest that incorporating the appropriate ratio of a polyanion such as γ-PGA with polycations in RNA delivery formulations is a promising way to improve the in vitro delivery of saRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazgol Karimi Dastgerdi
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
- Department of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
| | - Nurcan Gumus
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Hulya Bayraktutan
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Darryl Jackson
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Krunal Polra
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Section of Immunology of Infection, Imperial College London Norfolk Place London W21PG UK
| | - Paul F McKay
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Section of Immunology of Infection, Imperial College London Norfolk Place London W21PG UK
| | - Fatemeh Atyabi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
| | - Rassoul Dinarvand
- Department of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran
- Nanotechnology Research Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Tehran 1417614315 Iran
| | - Robin J Shattock
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Section of Immunology of Infection, Imperial College London Norfolk Place London W21PG UK
| | - Luisa Martinez-Pomares
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
| | - Pratik Gurnani
- UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London 29-39 Brunswick Square London WC1N 1AX UK
| | - Cameron Alexander
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham NG7 2RD UK
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Sun Y, Wang M, Wang M, Liu C, Shi Y, Liu L. The combined plasma membrane coating and cluster bombing strategy for improved tumor-targeting gene delivery of silicon nanoclusters. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2023; 231:113578. [PMID: 37804597 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2023.113578] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
With the promising biosafety and favorable cell imaging efficiency, silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) was broadly exploited as non-viral gene carriers in recent years. However, the low transfection efficiency and weak targeting ability hindered its further clinical applications. In this study, the combined plasma membrane coating and cluster bombing strategy was adopted to enhance the gene delivery potential of silicon quantum dots nanoclusters (SiNC). Initially, SiNC was generated via 3, 3'-Dithiodipropionic acid (DipA) crosslinking of SiQDs, then the obtained nanoclusters were coated by distinct plasma membrane. Interestingly, cell membrane coated SiNC (CM-SiNC) underwent particle size change, the typical character of "cluster bombing", when exposed to high GSH concentration, which was observed in the tumor microenvironment. Meanwhile, CM-SiNC can be efficiently uptaken by HEK 293T and HeLa cells, therefore transferring DNA into those cells. More importantly, among the particles coated by HeLa (HeLa-M), Red Blood (RBC-M) or RAW267.4 (RAW-M) cell membrane, HeLa cell membrane coating exhibited better cellular uptake and transfection efficiency in HeLa cells, which suggested the encouraging tumor targeting ability. In sum, these data suggested that cluster bombing of SiNC could be beneficial for physical stability and biodistribution, the additional plasma membrane coating further endowed SiNC the efficient gene delivery and tumor targeting ability. Therefore, CM-SiNC had the potential as a gene delivery vector and its application should be further addressed in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanlin Sun
- School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
| | - Mengying Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
| | - Mingjie Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
| | - Chaobing Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
| | - Yong Shi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
| | - Liang Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China.
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Yang J, Bai L, Shen M, Gou X, Xiang Z, Ma S, Wu Q, Gong C. A Multiple Stimuli-Responsive NanoCRISPR Overcomes Tumor Redox Heterogeneity to Augment Photodynamic Therapy. ACS NANO 2023. [PMID: 37310989 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c00940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Redox heterogeneity of tumor cells has become one of the key factors leading to the failure of conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT). Exploration of a distinctive therapeutic strategy addressing heterogeneous predicaments is an appealing yet highly challenging task. Herein, a multiple stimuli-responsive nanoCRISPR (Must-nano) with spatial arrangement peculiarities in nanostructure and intracellular delivery is fabricated to overcome redox heterogeneity at both genetic and phenotypic levels for tumor-specific activatable PDT. Must-nano consists of a redox-sensitive core loading CRISPR/Cas9 targeting hypoxia-inducible factors-1α (HIF-1α) and a rationally designed multiple-responsive shell anchored by chlorin e6 (Ce6). Benefiting from the perfect coordination of structure and function, Must-nano avoids enzyme/photodegradation of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and exerts prolonged circulation, precise tumor recognition, and cascade-responsive performances to surmount tumor extra/intracellular barriers. After internalization into tumor cells, Must-nano could undergo hyaluronidase-triggered self-disassembly with charge reversal and rapid endosomal escape, followed by site-specific release and spatially asynchronous delivery of Ce6 and CRISPR/Cas9 under stimulations of redox signals, which not only improves tumor vulnerability to oxidative stress by complete HIF-1α disruption but also destroys the intrinsic antioxidant mechanism through glutathione depletion, thereby homogenizing redox-heterogeneous cells into oxidative stress-sensitive cell subsets. Under laser irradiation, Must-nano eventually exhibits optimal potency to amplify oxidative damage, effectively inhibiting the growth and hypoxia survival of redox-heterogeneous tumor in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our redox homogenization tactic significantly maximizes PDT efficacy and offers a promising strategy to overcome tumor redox heterogeneity in the development of antitumor therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Liping Bai
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Meiling Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyu Gou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongzheng Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Qinjie Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Changyang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
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