1
|
Ghaemi B, Tanwar S, Singh A, Arifin DR, McMahon MT, Barman I, Bulte JWM. Cell-Penetrating and Enzyme-Responsive Peptides for Targeted Cancer Therapy: Role of Arginine Residue Length on Cell Penetration and In Vivo Systemic Toxicity. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:11159-11171. [PMID: 38385360 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c14908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
For the improved delivery of cancer therapeutics and imaging agents, the conjugation of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) increases the cellular uptake and water solubility of agents. Among the various CPPs, arginine-rich peptides have been the most widely used. Combining CPPs with enzyme-responsive peptides presents an innovative strategy to target specific intracellular enzymes in cancer cells and when combined with the appropriate click chemistry can enhance theranostic drug delivery through the formation of intracellular self-assembled nanostructures. However, one drawback of CPPs is their high positive charge which can cause nonspecific binding, leading to off-target accumulation and potential toxicity. Hence, balancing cell-specific penetration, toxicity, and biocompatibility is essential for future clinical efficacy. We synthesized six cancer-specific, legumain-responsive RnAANCK peptides containing one to six arginine residues, with legumain being an asparaginyl endopeptidase that is overexpressed in aggressive prostate tumors. When conjugated to Alexa Fluor 488, R1-R6AANCK peptides exhibited a concentration- and time-dependent cell penetration in prostate cancer cells, which was higher for peptides with higher R values, reaching a plateau after approximately 120 min. Highly aggressive DU145 prostate tumor cells, but not less aggressive LNCaP cells, self-assembled nanoparticles in the cytosol after the cleavage of the legumain-specific peptide. The in vivo biocompatibility was assessed in mice after the intravenous injection of R1-R6AANCK peptides, with concentrations ranging from 0.0125 to 0.4 mmol/kg. The higher arginine content in R4-6 peptides showed blood and urine indicators for the impairment of bone marrow, liver, and kidney function in a dose-dependent manner, with instant hemolysis and morbidity in extreme cases. These findings underscore the importance of designing peptides with the optimal arginine residue length for a proper balance of cell-specific penetration, toxicity, and in vivo biocompatibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Behnaz Ghaemi
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Swati Tanwar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Aruna Singh
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Dian R Arifin
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Michael T McMahon
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Ishan Barman
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Jeff W M Bulte
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang L, Zhang R, Cong X, He M, Zhao X, Fan J, Peng X, Cui J, Sun W. Near-Infrared Fluorescence Probe for Monoamine Oxidase A with a Large Stokes Shift for Intraoperative Navigation. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2024; 7:1115-1124. [PMID: 38194480 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c01038] [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] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) is a dimeric flavoprotein that is found in the mitochondrial membrane. Currently, there is a lack of near-infrared fluorescent probes (NIR-FPs) with good specificity and high sensitivity for detecting MAO-A, making it difficult to accurately recognize and image cells in vitro and in vivo. In this study, the NIR-FP DDM-NH2 was designed and synthesized in order to detect MAO-A specifically in live biological systems. The probe comprised two functional components: dicyanoisophosphone as an NIR dye precursor and alanine as a recognition moiety. After identifying MAO-A, the probe exhibited an NIR emission peak at 770 nm with a significant Stokes shift (180 nm), 11-fold response factor, low detection limit of 99.7 nM, and considerably higher affinity toward MAO-A than that toward MAO-B, indicating high sensitivity. In addition, DDM-NH2 was effective when applied to the image-based assessment of MAO-A activity in HeLa cells, zebrafish, and tumor-bearing mice, demonstrating great potential for visualization-based research and MAO-A application in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linhao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Xinyue Cong
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Maomao He
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Jiangli Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
- Ningbo Institute of Dalian University of Technology, Ningbo 315016, China
| | - Xiaojun Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Jingnan Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Wen Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
- Ningbo Institute of Dalian University of Technology, Ningbo 315016, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dai Q, Xie L, Ren E, Liu G. Cathepsin B Responsive Peptide-Purpurin Conjugates Assembly-Initiated in Situ Self-Aggregation for Cancer Sonotheranostics. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:950-957. [PMID: 38198622 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c04371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) was hampered by the sonosensitizers with low bioavailability, tumor accumulation, and therapeutic efficiency. In situ responsive sonosensitizer self-assembly strategy may provide a promising route for cancer sonotheranositics. Herein, an intelligent sonotheranostic peptide-purpurin conjugate (P18-P) is developed that can self-assemble into supramolecular structures via self-aggregation triggered by rich enzyme cathepsin B (CTSB). After intravenous injection, the versatile probe could achieve deep tissue penetration because of the penetration sequence of P18-P. More importantly, CTSB-triggered self-assembly strongly prolonged retention time, amplified photoacoustic imaging signal for sensitive CTSB detection, and boosted reactive oxygen species for advanced SDT, evoking specific CTSB responsive sonotheranostics. This peptide-purpurin conjugate may serve as an efficient sonotheranostic platform for the early diagnosis of CTSB activity and effective cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qixuan Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Lisi Xie
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China
- Nanhai Translational Innovation Center of Precision Immunology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Foshan 528200, China
| | - En Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Gang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, National Innovation Platform for Industry-Education Integration in Vaccine Research, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tanwar S, Ghaemi B, Raj P, Singh A, Wu L, Yuan Y, Arifin DR, McMahon MT, Bulte JWM, Barman I. A Smart Intracellular Self-Assembling Bioorthogonal Raman Active Nanoprobe for Targeted Tumor Imaging. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2304164. [PMID: 37715297 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202304164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by the principle of in situ self-assembly, the development of enzyme-activated molecular nanoprobes can have a profound impact on targeted tumor detection. However, despite their intrinsic promise, obtaining an optical readout of enzyme activity with high specificity in native milieu has proven to be challenging. Here, a fundamentally new class of Raman-active self-assembling bioorthogonal enzyme recognition (nanoSABER) probes for targeted tumor imaging is reported. This class of Raman probes presents narrow spectral bands reflecting their vibrational fingerprints and offers an attractive solution for optical imaging at different bio-organization levels. The optical beacon harnesses an enzyme-responsive peptide sequence, unique tumor-penetrating properties, and vibrational tags with stretching frequencies in the cell-silent Raman window. The design of nanoSABER is tailored and engineered to transform into a supramolecular structure exhibiting distinct vibrational signatures in presence of target enzyme, creating a direct causality between enzyme activity and Raman signal. Through the integration of substrate-specific for tumor-associated enzyme legumain, unique capabilities of nanoSABER for imaging enzyme activity at molecular, cellular, and tissue levels in combination with machine learning models are shown. These results demonstrate that the nanoSABER probe may serve as a versatile platform for Raman-based recognition of tumor aggressiveness, drug accumulation, and therapeutic response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Swati Tanwar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Behnaz Ghaemi
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Piyush Raj
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Aruna Singh
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Lintong Wu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Yue Yuan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
| | - Dian R Arifin
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Michael T McMahon
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Jeff W M Bulte
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
| | - Ishan Barman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Tanwar S, Wu L, Zahn N, Raj P, Ghaemi B, Chatterjee A, Bulte JWM, Barman I. Targeted Enzyme Activity Imaging with Quantitative Phase Microscopy. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:4602-4608. [PMID: 37154678 PMCID: PMC10798004 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is a powerful optical imaging modality for label-free, rapid, and three-dimensional (3D) monitoring of cells and tissues. However, molecular imaging of important intracellular biomolecules such as enzymes remains a largely unexplored area for QPI. Herein, we introduce a fundamentally new approach by designing QPI contrast agents that allow sensitive detection of intracellular biomolecules. We report a new class of bio-orthogonal QPI-nanoprobes for in situ high-contrast refractive index (RI) imaging of enzyme activity. The nanoprobes feature silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) having higher RI than endogenous cellular components and surface-anchored cyanobenzothiazole-cysteine (CBT-Cys) conjugated enzyme-responsive peptide sequences. The nanoprobes specifically aggregated in cells with target enzyme activity, increasing intracellular RI and enabling precise visualization of intracellular enzyme activity. We envision that this general design of QPI-nanoprobes could open doors for spatial-temporal mapping of enzyme activity with direct implications for disease diagnosis and evaluating the therapeutic efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Swati Tanwar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Lintong Wu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Noah Zahn
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Piyush Raj
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Behnaz Ghaemi
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Arnab Chatterjee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Jeff W M Bulte
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
- F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA
| | - Ishan Barman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA
| |
Collapse
|