Mixed phospholipid liposome calcification

Osteoblast-Derived Vesicle Protein Content Is Temporally Regulated During Osteogenesis: Implications for Regenerative Therapies

Osteoblast-derived extracellular vesicles (EV) are a collection of secreted (sEVs) and matrix-bound nanoparticles that function as foci for mineral nucleation and accumulation. Due to the fact sEVs can be isolated directly from the culture medium of mineralizing osteoblasts, there is growing interest their application regenerative medicine. However, at present therapeutic advancements are hindered by a lack of understanding of their precise temporal contribution to matrix mineralization. This study advances current knowledge by temporally aligning sEV profile and protein content with mineralization status. sEVs were isolated from mineralizing primary osteoblasts over a period of 1, 2, and 3 weeks. Bimodal particle distributions were observed (weeks 1 and 3: 44 and 164 nm; week 2: 59 and 220 nm), indicating a heterogeneous population with dimensions characteristic of exosome- (44 and 59 nm) and microvesicle-like (164 and 220 nm) particles. Proteomic characterization by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) revealed a declining correlation in EV-localized proteins as mineralization advanced, with Pearson correlation-coefficients of 0.79 (week 1 vs. 2), 0.6 (2 vs. 3) and 0.46 (1 vs. 3), respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) further highlighted a time-dependent divergence in protein content as mineralization advanced. The most significant variations were observed at week 3, with a significant (p < 0.05) decline in particle concentration, visual evidence of EV rupture and enhanced mineralization. A total of 116 vesicle-localized proteins were significantly upregulated at week 3 (56% non-specifically, 19% relative to week 1, 25% relative to week 2). Gene ontology enrichment analysis of these proteins highlighted overrepresentation of genes associated with matrix organization. Of note, increased presence of phospholipid-binding and calcium channeling annexin proteins (A2, A5, and A6) indicative of progressive variations in the nucleational capacity of vesicles, as well as interaction with the surrounding ECM. We demonstrate sEV-mediated mineralization is dynamic process with variations in vesicle morphology and protein content having a potential influence on developmental changes matrix organization. These findings have implications for the selection and application of EVs for regenerative applications.

Phosphatidylethanolamine biomimetic coating increases mesenchymal stem cell osteoblastogenesis

Previous observations (e.g., decreased bacterial adhesion) have shed the light on the auspicious possibility to use phosphatidylethanolamine as biomimetic coating for metal implants. Additionally, it was experimentally shown that phosphatidylethanolamine induces bone formation, however, up to now no study was performed to understand this observation or to find an explanation. In an attempt to unveil how and why phosphatidylethanolamine can improve cell metabolism and osteogenic differentiation, primary cells (human umbilical cord perivascular cells) were cultured on native or phosphatidylethanolamine coated surfaces. Several parameters were followed on gene (real time polymerase chain reaction) and protein (e.g., dot-blot and ELISA tests) levels. It was determined that phosphatidylethanolamine potentiates cell metabolism, osteogenic differentiation, and mineralisation early processes. By preventing biofilm formation while promoting new bone formation, phosphatidylethanolamine could be easily implemented as implant bio-mimicking coating.

Fabrication and Characterisation of Calcium Phosphate - Liposome Composites as an Implant Coating

Calcium phosphate in the form of apatite has been successfully precipitated on the surface of liposomes. Liposome vesicles were prepared by sonication of phosphatidylcholine and this was introduced into an aqueous solution of calcium and phosphate ions supersaturated with respect to hydroxyapatite. Calcium phosphate was shown to precipitate solely on the outer layer surface of the liposome vesicles. These composite assemblies were then deposited onto a stainless steel cathode substrate using an electrophoretic method at physiological temperatures.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder xray diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to analyse the morphology, structure and chemical composition of the composite coating. The results from PXRD and FTIR show a mixture of amorphous and poor crystalline hydroxyapatite (HAp). This was verified by electron diffraction. Dark field images confirmed that the precipitated HAp deposited solely at the outer surface of the liposomes. SEM micrographs demonstrated a thin uniform coating at the microstructure level. These results suggest that these calcium phosphateliposome composites can be formed. They have tremendous potential for use as drug delivery devices in aiding the treatments of bone disorders.

Kinetic analysis of mineral formation during in vitro modeling of matrix vesicle mineralization: effect of annexin A5, phosphatidylserine, and type II collagen

Matrix vesicles (MVs) are involved in de novo mineral formation by nearly all vertebrate tissues. The driving force for MV mineralization is a nucleational core composed of three principal constituents: (i) amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), complexed in part with phosphatidylserine (PS) to form (ii) calcium-phosphate-lipid complexes (CPLX), and (iii) annexin A5 (AnxA5), the principal lipid-dependent Ca(2+)-binding protein in MVs. We describe methods for reconstituting the nucleational core using a biomimetic approach and for analyzing the kinetics of its induction of mineral formation. The method is based on light scattering by the nascent crystallites at 340 nm and monitors mineral formation at regular intervals without disturbing the system using an automated plate reader. It yields precise replicate values that typically agree within less than 5%. As with MVs, mineral formation by the synthetic complex follows a sigmoidal pattern; following a quiescent induction period, rapid formation ensues for a limited time, followed by a distinct decline in rate that continues to slow, ultimately reaching a maximal asymptotic value. Key to quantization of mineral formation is the use of first-derivative analysis, which defines the induction time, the rate and the amount of initial mineral formation. Furthermore, using a five-parameter logistic curve-fitting algorithm, the maximal amount of mineral formation can be predicted accurately. Using these methods, we document the dramatic finding that AnxA5 synergistically activates PS-CPLX, transforming it from a very weak nucleator of mineral formation to a potent one. The methods presented should enable systematic study of the effects of numerous other factors thought to contribute to mineral formation.

In vivo assessment of the osteointegrative potential of phosphatidylserine-based coatings

The successful implantation of titanium-based implants for orthopaedic and dental applications is often hindered because of their mobility, which arises because of a lack of direct binding of the metal surface to the mineral phase of the surrounding bone. Ceramic coatings, although ensuring the integration of the implant within the tissue, are unstable and carry risks of delamination and of failure. Recently, a novel biomimetic approach has been developed where porous titanium implants are coated with calcium-binding phospholipids able to catalyse the nucleation of discrete apatite crystals after only 30 min incubation in simulated body fluids. The present work assesses the osteointegrative potential of this new class of coatings in an in vivo rabbit model and compares its performance with those of bare porous titanium and hydroxyapatite-coated titanium. The data obtained show that phosphatidylserine-based coatings, whilst resorbing, drive the growing bone into apposition with the metal surface. This is in contrast to the case of bare titanium.

Calcium-binding phospholipids as a coating material for implant osteointegration

Among the many biomolecules involved in the bone mineralization processes, anionic phospholipids play an important role because of their ability to bind calcium. In particular, phosphatidylserine is a natural component of the plasmalemma and of the matrix vesicles generated from the osteoblast membrane to create nucleation centres for calcium phosphate crystal precipitation. In the present work, we demonstrate that calcium-binding phospholipids can be used as biomimetic coating materials for improving the osteointegration of metal implants. Relatively thick phosphatidylserine-based coatings were deposited on titanium coupons by dip-coating. Upon dehydration in a simulated body fluid phospholipids were quickly crosslinked by calcium and re-arranged into a three-dimensional matrix able to induce rapid formation of a calcium phosphate mineral phase. The rate of mineralization was shown to be dependent on the adopted coating formulation. In the attempt to closely mimic the cell membrane composition, heterogeneous formulations based on the mixing of anionic phospholipids (either phosphatidylserine or phosphatidylinositol) with phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol were synthesized. However, surface plasmon resonance studies as well as scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis demonstrated that the homogeneous phosphatidylserine coating was a more effective calcification environment than the heterogeneous formulations.

Effects of phosphatidylserine coatings on titanium on inflammatory cells and cell-induced mineralisation in vitro

Ideally an active bone biomaterial should increase the mineralisation rate at the bone healing sites, keeping at the same time the inflammation process to levels required for tissue regeneration. Our studies suggest that in addition to improving the nucleation process for new bone formation, coating titanium with phospholipids may reduce the inflammatory response, which was shown to vary depending on the formulation employed. As phosphatidylserine reduced the inflammatory response to the greatest extent, in the second part of this study we examined its effect on osteoblast mineralisation. These studies demonstrated that phosphatidylserine improves the nucleation process for bone formation, by promoting the formation of bone-like tissue, so the high mineralisation potential of phosphatidylserine-coated titanium, together with the lower level of inflammatory response, supports the further development of this technology for coating osteointegrative devices.

Separation and quantification of chicken and bovine growth plate cartilage matrix vesicle lipids by high-performance liquid chromatography using evaporative light scattering detection

Matrix vesicles (MV) are lipid bilayer-enclosed nanoscale structures that initiate extracellular mineral formation in most vertebrate species. Little attention has been given to differences between species in membrane lipid composition or to how new mineral is formed in MV. To explore more precisely the lipids of MV isolated from avian and bovine species, we developed a new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method used in combination with evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) to quantify their lipid composition. HPLC analyses were performed on a Lichrosorb silica column using separate binary gradient elution systems for analyzing polar and nonpolar lipids. Standard mixtures of both phospholipids and nonpolar lipids were used to prepare calibration curves for each lipid, which were analyzed mathematically by polynomial regression for accurate quantitation. This new methodology provides high-resolution separations and quantitation of both the polar and the nonpolar lipids typically present in biological membranes, including lyso- (monoacyl-) phospholipids. We have applied this method to quantitate the phospholipid and nonpolar lipid composition of MV isolated from chicken and bovine growth plate cartilage. We also compared the ability of these MV to induce mineral formation. While the ability to induce mineralization and the lipid composition were generally similar, some significant differences between MV from these two disparate species were seen.

Changes in phospholipid extractability and composition accompany mineralization of chicken growth plate cartilage matrix vesicles

Matrix vesicles are lipid bilayer-enclosed structures that initiate extracellular mineral formation. Little attention has been given to how newly formed mineral interacts with the lipid constituents and then emerges from the lumen. To explore whether specific lipids bind to the incipient mineral and if breakdown of the membrane is involved, we analyzed changes in lipid composition and extractability during vesicle-induced calcification. Isolated matrix vesicles were incubated in synthetic cartilage lymph to induce mineral formation. At various times, samples of the lipids were taken for analysis, extracted both before and after demineralization to remove deposited mineral. Phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol both rapidly disappeared from extracts made before decalcification, indicating rapid degradation. However, extracts made after demineralization revealed that phosphatidylserine had become complexed with newly forming mineral. Concomitantly, its levels actually increased, apparently by base-exchange with phosphatidylethanolamine. Though partially complexed with the mineral, phosphatidylinositol was nevertheless rapidly broken down. Sphingomyelin and phosphatidylethanolamine also underwent rapid breakdown, but phosphatidylcholine was degraded more slowly, all accompanied by a buildup of free fatty acids. The data indicate that phosphatidylserine forms complexes that accompany mineral formation, while degradation of other membrane phospholipids apparently enables egress of crystalline mineral from the vesicle lumen.

Regulatory roles of zinc in matrix vesicle-mediated mineralization of growth plate cartilage

Zinc (Zn2+) has long been known to play important roles in mineralization and ossification of skeletal tissues, but the mechanisms of Zn2+ action are not well understood. In this study we investigated the effects of Zn2+ on mineralization in a cell culture system in which terminal differentiation and mineralization of hypertrophic growth plate chondrocytes was induced by retinoic acid (RA) treatment. Addition of Zn2+ to RA-treated cultures decreased mineralization in a dose-dependent manner without affecting alkaline phosphatase (APase) activity. Characterization of matrix vesicles (MVs), particles that initiate the mineralization process, revealed that vesicles isolated from RA-treated and RA/Zn2+-treated cultures showed similar APase activity, but vesicles from RA/Zn2+-treated cultures contained significantly less Ca2+ and Pi. MVs isolated from RA-treated cultures were able to take up Ca2+ and mineralize in vitro, whereas vesicles isolated from RA/Zn2+-treated cultures were not able to do so. Detergent treatment, which ruptures the MV membrane and exposes preformed intravesicular Ca2+-Pi-phospholipid complexes, did not restore the Ca2+ uptake abilities of MVs isolated from RA/Zn2+-treated cultures, suggesting that vesicles from RA/Zn2+-treated cultures did not contain functional Ca2+-Pi-phospholipid complexes. Zn2+ treatment did not affect the content of annexins II, V, and VI in MVs or the Ca2+-dependent, EDTA-reversible binding of these molecules to the membrane surface. However, Zn2+ treatment did affect the EDTA-nonreversible binding of these molecules to the MV membrane, suggesting that Zn2+ interferes with the assembly of annexins in the MV membrane. In addition, Zn2+ inhibited annexin II-, V-, and VI-mediated Ca2+ influx into liposomes. In conclusion, Zn2+ inhibits the mineralizing competence of intravesicular Ca2+-Pi-phospholipid complexes and function of annexin channels, thereby controlling Ca2+ influx into MVs, the formation of the first crystal phase inside the vesicles and initiation of mineralization.

Anomalous solubility behavior of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin encapsulated in liposomes: a 1H-NMR study

Many drugs are weak bases and can be accumulated into liposomes in response to a pH gradient to achieve high internal drug concentrations. This study is aimed at gaining an understanding of the relationship between the retention of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin in liposomes and the intraliposomal form and location of this drug. 1H-NMR spectroscopy was used to probe the interactions experienced by ciprofloxacin following uptake into large unilamellar liposomes (LUV). It is shown that ciprofloxacin is located in the aqueous interior of the liposomes and is self-associated in the form of small stacks. It does not precipitate out of solution even though the intraliposomal ciprofloxacin concentration can exceed its solubility in aqueous solutions by almost two orders of magnitude. The results also indicate that little entrapped ciprofloxacin partitions into the inner monolayer of the LUV. As a result of the lack of precipitation and rapid exchange properties, ciprofloxacin can respond quickly to changes in electrochemical equilibria such as depletion of the pH gradient. This provides a rationale for the rapid leakage of this drug in response to serum destabilization or depletion of the pH gradient.

Persistence of complexed acidic phospholipids in rapidly mineralizing tissues is due to affinity for mineral and resistance to hydrolytic attack: in vitro data

Acidic phospholipids, complexed with calcium and inorganic phosphate, are components of extracellular matrix vesicles. Both the complexed acidic phospholipids and matrix vesicles have previously been shown to serve as hydroxyapatite (HA) nucleators in solution and when implanted in a muscle pouch. The present study supplies evidence that complexed acidic phospholipids can persist in mineralizing tissues both because of their affinity for HA and because of their resistance to hydrolysis by phospholipase A2. Calcium-phosphatidylserine-phosphate complex (CPLX-PS) synthesized with 14C-labeled phosphatidylserine (PS) was used to measure CPLX-PS affinity for HA using a Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The affinity was shown to be higher and more specific than that of PS itself (K = 8.66 ml/mumol; N, the number of binding sites = 20.4 mumol/m2 as compared with previously reported values for PS of K = 3.33 ml/mumol, and N = 4.87 mumol/m2). Incorporated into synthetic liposomes and incubated in a calcium phosphate solution in which mineralization is induced by an ionophore, CPLX-PS showed behavior distinct from free PS. As previously reported, PS in these liposomes totally blocked HA formation. On the other hand, CPLX-PS in similar concentrations had a varied response, having no effect, slightly inhibiting, or actually promoting HA formation. CPLX-PS was also shown to be a poorer substrate for phospholipase A2 than PS, with Km = 4.63 mM for CPLX-PS and Km = 0.27 mM for PS; and Vmax = 0.029 ml/minute for CPLX-PS and Vmax = 0.066 ml/minute for PS. These data explain how complexed acidic phospholipids may persist in the growth plate and facilitate initial mineral deposition.