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Zhang C, Pathrikar TV, Baby HM, Li J, Zhang H, Selvadoss A, Ovchinnikova A, Ionescu A, Chubinskaya S, Miller RE, Bajpayee AG. Charge-Reversed Exosomes for Targeted Gene Delivery to Cartilage for Osteoarthritis Treatment. SMALL METHODS 2024:e2301443. [PMID: 38607953 PMCID: PMC11470115 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202301443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Gene therapy has the potential to facilitate targeted expression of therapeutic proteins to promote cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis (OA). The dense, avascular, aggrecan-glycosaminoglycan (GAG) rich negatively charged cartilage, however, hinders their transport to reach chondrocytes in effective doses. While viral vector mediated gene delivery has shown promise, concerns over immunogenicity and tumorigenic side-effects persist. To address these issues, this study develops surface-modified cartilage-targeting exosomes as non-viral carriers for gene therapy. Charge-reversed cationic exosomes are engineered for mRNA delivery by anchoring cartilage targeting optimally charged arginine-rich cationic motifs into the anionic exosome bilayer by using buffer pH as a charge-reversal switch. Cationic exosomes penetrated through the full-thickness of early-stage arthritic human cartilage owing to weak-reversible ionic binding with GAGs and efficiently delivered the encapsulated eGFP mRNA to chondrocytes residing in tissue deep layers, while unmodified anionic exosomes do not. When intra-articularly injected into destabilized medial meniscus mice knees with early-stage OA, mRNA loaded charge-reversed exosomes overcame joint clearance and rapidly penetrated into cartilage, creating an intra-tissue depot and efficiently expressing eGFP; native exosomes remained unsuccessful. Cationic exosomes thus hold strong translational potential as a platform technology for cartilage-targeted non-viral delivery of any relevant mRNA targets for OA treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenzhen Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tanvi V. Pathrikar
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Helna M. Baby
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hengli Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew Selvadoss
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Andreia Ionescu
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Susan Chubinskaya
- Department of Pediatrics, Rush University Medical College, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Rachel E. Miller
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Ambika G. Bajpayee
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Zhang C, Vedadghavami A, He T, Charles JF, Bajpayee AG. Cationic Carrier Mediated Delivery of Anionic Contrast Agents in Low Doses Enable Enhanced Computed Tomography Imaging of Cartilage for Early Osteoarthritis Diagnosis. ACS NANO 2023; 17:6649-6663. [PMID: 36989423 PMCID: PMC10629240 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c12376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Cartilage tissue exhibits early degenerative changes with onset of osteoarthritis (OA). Early diagnosis is critical as there is only a narrow time window during which therapeutic intervention can reverse disease progression. Computed tomography (CT) has been considered for cartilage imaging as a tool for early OA diagnosis by introducing radio-opaque contrast agents like ioxaglate (IOX) into the joint. IOX, however, is anionic and thus repelled by negatively charged cartilage glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) that hinders its intra-tissue penetration and partitioning, resulting in poor CT attenuation. This is further complicated by its short intra-tissue residence time owing to rapid clearance from joints, which necessitates high doses causing toxicity concerns. Here we engineer optimally charged cationic contrast agents based on cartilage negative fixed charge density by conjugating cartilage targeting a cationic peptide carrier (CPC) and multi-arm avidin nanoconstruct (mAv) to IOX, such that they can penetrate through the full thickness of cartilage within 6 h using electrostatic interactions and elicit similar CT signal with about 40× lower dose compared to anionic IOX. Their partitioning and distribution correlate strongly with spatial GAG distribution within healthy and early- to late-stage arthritic bovine cartilage tissues at 50-100× lower doses than other cationic contrast agents used in the current literature. The use of contrast agents at low concentrations also allowed for delineation of cartilage from subchondral bone as well as other soft tissues in rat tibial joints. These contrast agents are safe to use at current doses, making CT a viable imaging modality for early detection of OA and staging of its severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenzhen Zhang
- Department
of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Armin Vedadghavami
- Department
of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Tengfei He
- Department
of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Julia F. Charles
- Department
of Orthopaedic Surgery, Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, 60 Fenwood Road, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Ambika G. Bajpayee
- Department
of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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