1
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Phan A, MacKay JA. Steric stabilization of bioactive nanoparticles using elastin-like polypeptides. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 206:115189. [PMID: 38281625 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) are versatile, thermo-responsive polymers that can be conjugated to virtually any therapeutic cargo. Derived from short amino-acid sequences and abundant in humans, certain ELPs display low immunogenicity. Substrates for endogenous proteases, ELPs are biodegradable and thus, are candidate biomaterials. Peptides and proteins can be directly coupled with ELPs through genetic engineering, while other polymers and small molecules can be appended through covalent bioconjugation or non-covalent complexation. ELPs that phase separate at physiological temperatures can form the core of nano assemblies; however, ELPs that remain soluble can sterically stabilize the corona of a variety of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles with ELPs at their corona promote colloids with favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) properties that enables therapeutic efficacy with intermittent administration. This review highlights a comprehensive spectrum of ELP fusions shown to stabilize the solubility, and sometimes bioactivity, of their cargo - with a focus on biophysical properties that underlie their therapeutic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin Phan
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - J Andrew MacKay
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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2
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Azulay R, Strugach DS, Amiram M. Self-assembly of temperature-responsive di-block polypeptides functionalized with unnatural amino acids. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4878. [PMID: 38147468 PMCID: PMC10804675 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
The incorporation of unnatural amino acids (uAAs) into protein-based polymers has emerged as a powerful methodology to expand their chemical repertoire. Recently, we demonstrated that incorporating uAAs into two temperature-responsive protein-based polymers-namely resilin- and elastin-like polypeptides (RLPs and ELPs, respectively)-can alter their properties. In this study, we incorporated aromatic uAAs into the protein sequence of RLP-ELP diblocks to yield new and diverse assemblies from a single DNA template. Specifically, we show that incorporating aromatic uAAs can modulate the phase-transition behaviors and self-assembly of the diblocks into various morphologies, including spherical and cylindrical micelles and single- and double-layered vesicles, with some constructs also demonstrating a temperature-responsive shape-shifting behavior. Next, we evaluated the ability of the RLP-ELP assemblies to encapsulate a chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin, and show how the identity of the incorporated uAAs and the morphology of the nanostructure affect the encapsulation efficiency. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the multi-site incorporation of uAAs into temperature-responsive, amphiphilic protein-based diblock copolymers is a promising approach for the functionalization and tuning of self-assembled nanostructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rotem Azulay
- Avram and Stella Goldstein‐Goren Department of Biotechnology EngineeringBen‐Gurion University of the NegevBeer‐ShevaIsrael
| | - Daniela S. Strugach
- Avram and Stella Goldstein‐Goren Department of Biotechnology EngineeringBen‐Gurion University of the NegevBeer‐ShevaIsrael
| | - Miriam Amiram
- Avram and Stella Goldstein‐Goren Department of Biotechnology EngineeringBen‐Gurion University of the NegevBeer‐ShevaIsrael
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3
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Zhang T, Luo X, Xu K, Zhong W. Peptide-containing nanoformulations: Skin barrier penetration and activity contribution. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 203:115139. [PMID: 37951358 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.115139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Transdermal drug delivery presents a less invasive pathway, circumventing the need to pass through the gastrointestinal tract and liver, thereby reducing drug breakdown, initial metabolism, and gastrointestinal discomfort. Nevertheless, the unique composition and dense structure of the stratum corneum present a significant barrier to transdermal delivery. This article presents an overview of the current developments in peptides and nanotechnology to address this challenge. Initially, we sum up peptide-containing nanoformulations for transdermal drug delivery, examining them through the lenses of both inorganic and organic materials. Particular emphasis is placed on the diverse roles that peptides play within these nanoformulations, including conferring functionality upon nanocarriers and enhancing the biological efficacy of drugs. Subsequently, we summarize innovative strategies for enhancing skin penetration, categorizing them into passive and active approaches. Lastly, we discuss the therapeutic potential of peptide-containing nanoformulations in addressing a range of diseases, drawing insights from the biological activities and functions of peptides. Furthermore, the challenges hindering clinical translation are also discussed, providing valuable insights for future advancements in transdermal drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xuan Luo
- Department of Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Keming Xu
- Department of Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Biomedical Functional Materials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Wenying Zhong
- Department of Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Biomedical Functional Materials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Drug Quality Control and Pharmacovigilance, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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4
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Chen Y, Wu Y, Xiong F, Yu W, Wang T, Xiong J, Zhou L, Hu F, Ye X, Liang X. Construction of a Collagen-like Protein Based on Elastin-like Polypeptide Fusion and Evaluation of Its Performance in Promoting Wound Healing. Molecules 2023; 28:6773. [PMID: 37836616 PMCID: PMC10574607 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28196773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In the healing of wounds, human-like collagen (hCol) is essential. However, collagen-based composite dressings have poor stability in vivo, which severely limits their current therapeutic potential. Based on the above, we have developed a recombinant fusion protein named hCol-ELP, which consists of hCol and an elastin-like peptide (ELP). Then, we examined the physicochemical and biological properties of hCol-ELP. The results indicated that the stability of the hCol-ELP fusion protein exhibited a more compact and homogeneous lamellar microstructure along with collagen properties, it was found to be significantly superior to the stability of free hCol. The compound hCol-ELP demonstrated a remarkable capacity to induce the proliferation and migration of mouse embryo fibroblast cells (NIH/3T3), as well as enhance collagen synthesis in human skin fibroblasts (HSF) when tested in vitro. In vivo, hCol-ELP demonstrated significant enhancements in healing rate and a reduction in the time required for scab removal, thereby exhibiting a scar-free healing effect. The findings provide a crucial theoretical foundation for the implementation of an hCol-ELP protein dressing in fields associated with the healing of traumatic injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingli Chen
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Yuanyuan Wu
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Fengmin Xiong
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Wei Yu
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Tingting Wang
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Jingjing Xiong
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Luping Zhou
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Fei Hu
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Xianlong Ye
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
| | - Xinmiao Liang
- Ganjiang Chinese Medicine Innovation Center, Nanchang 330100, China; (Y.C.); (Y.W.); (F.X.); (W.Y.); (T.W.); (J.X.); (L.Z.); (F.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian 116023, China
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5
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Lim B, Kim J, Desai MS, Wu W, Chae I, Lee SW. Elastic Fluorescent Protein-Based Down-Converting Optical Films for Flexible Display. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:118-131. [PMID: 36507771 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Protein-based material design provides great advantages to developing smart biomaterials with tunable structures and desired functions. They have been widely used in many biomedical applications including tissue engineering and drug delivery. However, protein-based materials are not yet widely used in optoelectronic materials despite their excellent optical and tunable mechanical properties. Here, we synthesized engineered fluorescent proteins (FPs) fused with elastic protein for the development of optoelectrical down-converting optical filters for flexible display materials. We synthesized sequence-specific FPs to tune blue, green, yellow, and red colors and fused them with elastic protein to tune mechanical properties. We fabricated flexible self-supporting film materials and characterized mechanical properties and down-converting optical properties. We also fabricated a hybrid light-emitting diode (LED) to down convert blue to desired green, red, and white colors. Furthermore, we constructed a flexible white LED using organic LED as a flexible substrate. Our modular synthesis approach of tunable bio-optoelectrical material approaches will be useful to design future biocompatible and flexible display materials and technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Butaek Lim
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California94720, United States.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California94720, United States
| | - Jinyeong Kim
- Samsung Display Co Ltd, 1 Samsung-ro, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si17113, Republic of Korea
| | - Malav S Desai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California94720, United States.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California94720, United States
| | - Weiyu Wu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California94720, United States
| | - Inseok Chae
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California94720, United States.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California94720, United States
| | - Seung-Wuk Lee
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California94720, United States.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California94720, United States
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6
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Elastin-like polypeptide-based micelles as a promising platform in nanomedicine. J Control Release 2023; 353:713-726. [PMID: 36526018 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.12.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
New and improved nanomaterials are constantly being developed for biomedical purposes. Nanomaterials based on elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) have increasingly shown potential over the past two decades. These polymers are artificial proteins of which the design is based on human tropoelastin. Due to this similarity, ELP-based nanomaterials are biodegradable and therefore well suited to drug delivery. The assembly of ELP molecules into nanoparticles spontaneously occurs at temperatures above a transition temperature (Tt). The ELP sequence influences both the Tt and the physicochemical properties of the assembled nanomaterial. Nanoparticles with desired properties can hence be designed by choosing the appropriate sequence. A promising class of ELP nanoparticles are micelles assembled from amphiphilic ELP diblock copolymers. Such micelles are generally uniform and well defined. Furthermore, site-specific attachment of cargo to the hydrophobic block results in micelles with the cargo shielded inside their core, while conjugation to the hydrophilic block causes the cargo to reside in the corona where it is available for interactions. Such control over particle design is one of the main contributing factors for the potential of ELP-based micelles as a drug delivery system. Additionally, the micelles are easily loaded with protein or peptide-based cargo by expressing it as a fusion protein. Small molecule drugs and other cargo types can be either covalently conjugated to ELP domains or physically entrapped inside the micelle core. This review aims to give an overview of ELP-based micelles and their applications in nanomedicine.
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7
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Goncalves AG, Hartzell EJ, Sullivan MO, Chen W. Recombinant protein polymer-antibody conjugates for applications in nanotechnology and biomedicine. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 191:114570. [PMID: 36228897 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Currently, there are over 100 antibody-based therapeutics on the market for the treatment of various diseases. The increasing importance of antibody treatment is further highlighted by the recent FDA emergency use authorization of certain antibody therapies for COVID-19 treatment. Protein-based materials have gained momentum for antibody delivery due to their biocompatibility, tunable chemistry, monodispersity, and straightforward synthesis and purification. In this review, we discuss progress in engineering the molecular features of protein-based biomaterials, in particular recombinant protein polymers, for introducing novel functionalities and enhancing the delivery properties of antibodies and related binding protein domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio G Goncalves
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - Emily J Hartzell
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716, United States
| | - Millicent O Sullivan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
| | - Wilfred Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
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8
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Gueta O, Amiram M. Expanding the chemical repertoire of protein-based polymers for drug-delivery applications. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 190:114460. [PMID: 36030987 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Expanding the chemical repertoire of natural and artificial protein-based polymers (PBPs) can enable the production of sequence-defined, yet chemically diverse, biopolymers with customized or new properties that cannot be accessed in PBPs composed of only natural amino acids. Various approaches can enable the expansion of the chemical repertoire of PBPs, including chemical and enzymatic treatments or the incorporation of unnatural amino acids. These techniques are employed to install a wide variety of chemical groups-such as bio-orthogonally reactive, cross-linkable, post-translation modifications, and environmentally responsive groups-which, in turn, can facilitate the design of customized PBP-based drug-delivery systems with modified, fine-tuned, or entirely new properties and functions. Here, we detail the existing and emerging technologies for expanding the chemical repertoire of PBPs and review several chemical groups that either demonstrate or are anticipated to show potential in the design of PBP-based drug delivery systems. Finally, we provide our perspective on the remaining challenges and future directions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osher Gueta
- The Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Miriam Amiram
- The Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
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9
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Hall DB, Vakkasoglu AS, Hales LM, Soliman TM. D-VITylation: Harnessing the biology of vitamin D to improve the pharmacokinetic properties of peptides and small proteins. Int J Pharm 2022; 624:122031. [PMID: 35863594 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Peptides have great potential to be potent and specific therapeutics, yet their small size leads to rapid glomerular filtration, which severely limits therapeutic applications. Although conjugation of small proteins to large polymers typically results in longer residence times, these conjugates often have a significant loss of biological activity due to steric hindrance. Here, we improve the pharmacokinetics (PK) of peptide therapeutics by harnessing the biology of vitamin D. Attachment of a small vitamin D-based molecule (D-VITylation) protects the conjugated peptide or protein from renal clearance by virtue of reversible binding to the serum-circulating vitamin D binding protein (DBP), without compromising bioactivity. Varying the conjugation site on vitamin D affects the binding to DBP, with higher affinity corresponding to a longer plasma half-life. We also demonstrate the important contribution of the peptide to the overall PK, likely due to alternative clearance mechanisms such as protease degradation and receptor-mediated cellular uptake. With a Fab antibody fragment, for which these alternate clearance mechanisms are not significant, D-VITylation increases the half-life of elimination from 14 to 61 h in rats. The PK profile in minipigs and projected lifetime in humans suggest that D-VITylation is a viable strategy to achieve once-weekly dosing of peptide therapeutics in humans.
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10
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Gueta O, Sheinenzon O, Azulay R, Shalit H, Strugach DS, Hadar D, Gelkop S, Milo A, Amiram M. Tuning the Properties of Protein-Based Polymers Using High-Performance Orthogonal Translation Systems for the Incorporation of Aromatic Non-Canonical Amino Acids. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:913057. [PMID: 35711629 PMCID: PMC9195583 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.913057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) using engineered aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) has emerged as a powerful methodology to expand the chemical repertoire of proteins. However, the low efficiencies of typical aaRS variants limit the incorporation of ncAAs to only one or a few sites within a protein chain, hindering the design of protein-based polymers (PBPs) in which multi-site ncAA incorporation can be used to impart new properties and functions. Here, we determined the substrate specificities of 11 recently developed high-performance aaRS variants and identified those that enable an efficient multi-site incorporation of 15 different aromatic ncAAs. We used these aaRS variants to produce libraries of two temperature-responsive PBPs-elastin- and resilin-like polypeptides (ELPs and RLPs, respectively)-that bear multiple instances of each ncAA. We show that incorporating such aromatic ncAAs into the protein structure of ELPs and RLPs can affect their temperature responsiveness, secondary structure, and self-assembly propensity, yielding new and diverse families of ELPs and RLPs, each from a single DNA template. Finally, using a molecular model, we demonstrate that the temperature-responsive behavior of RLPs is strongly affected by both the hydrophobicity and the size of the unnatural aromatic side-chain. The ability to efficiently incorporate multiple instances of diverse ncAAs alongside the 20 natural amino acids can help to elucidate the effect of ncAA incorporation on these and many other PBPs, with the aim of designing additional precise and chemically diverse polymers with new or improved properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osher Gueta
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Ortal Sheinenzon
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Rotem Azulay
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Hadas Shalit
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Daniela S. Strugach
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Dagan Hadar
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Sigal Gelkop
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Anat Milo
- Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Miriam Amiram
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
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11
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Polymer-Based Delivery of Peptide Drugs to Treat Diabetes: Normalizing Hyperglycemia and Preventing Diabetic Complications. BIOCHIP JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13206-022-00057-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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12
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Lima LF, Sousa MGDC, Rodrigues GR, de Oliveira KBS, Pereira AM, da Costa A, Machado R, Franco OL, Dias SC. Elastin-like Polypeptides in Development of Nanomaterials for Application in the Medical Field. FRONTIERS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fnano.2022.874790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are biopolymers formed by amino acid sequences derived from tropoelastin. These biomolecules can be soluble below critical temperatures, forming aggregates at higher temperatures, which makes them an interesting source for the design of different nanobiomaterials. These nanobiomaterials can be obtained from heterologous expression in several organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and plants. Thanks to the many advantages of ELPs, they have been used in the biomedical field to develop nanoparticles, nanofibers, and nanocomposites. These nanostructures can be used in multiple applications such as drug delivery systems, treatments of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, tissue repair, and cancer therapy. Thus, this review aims to shed some light on the main advances in elastin-like-based nanomaterials, their possible expression forms, and importance to the medical field.
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13
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Kelly G, Milligan JJ, Mastria EM, Kim S, Zelenetz SR, Dobbins J, Cai LY, Li X, Nair SK, Chilkoti A. Intratumoral delivery of brachytherapy and immunotherapy by a thermally triggered polypeptide depot. J Control Release 2022; 343:267-276. [PMID: 35077742 PMCID: PMC8960370 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Biomaterial-based approaches for a combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy can improve outcomes in metastatic cancer through local delivery of both therapeutic modalities to the primary tumor to control local tumor growth and distant metastases. This study describes an injectable depot for sustained intratumoral (i.t.) delivery of an iodine-131 (131I) radionuclide and a CpG oligodeoxynucleotide immunostimulant, driven by the thermally sensitive phase transition behavior of elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs). We synthesized and characterized an ELP with an oligolysine tail (ELP-K12) that forms an electrostatic complex with CpG for delivery from an ELP depot and evaluated the ability of the complex to enhance local and systemic tumor control as a monotherapy and in combination with 131I-ELP brachytherapy. I.t delivery of CpG from an ELP-K12 depot dramatically prolongs i.t. retention to more than 21 days as compared to soluble CpG that is only retained within the tumor for <24 h. ELP-K12 also enhances CpG delivery by increasing cellular uptake of CpG to generate greater toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) activation than CpG alone. I.t. treatment with an ELP-K12/CpG depot slows primary tumor growth and reduces lung metastases in a poorly immunogenic 4 T1 syngeneic breast cancer model whereas i.t treatment of CpG alone has no significant effect on primary tumor growth or metastases. Notably, a combination of 131I-ELP brachytherapy and ELP-K12/CpG delivered i.t. inhibited 4 T1 tumor growth and strongly decreased the development of lung metastases, leading to a synergistic improvement in mouse survival. These preclinical results demonstrate that injectable ELP depots may provide a useful approach for the delivery of combination radio- and immuno-therapy to treat metastatic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett Kelly
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Joshua J. Milligan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Eric M. Mastria
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Sarah Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Stephanie R. Zelenetz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Jarrett Dobbins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Leon Y. Cai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Xinghai Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Smita K. Nair
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, 2301 Erwin Rd., DUMC Box 370, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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14
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Vanderschuren K, Arranz-Gibert P, Khang M, Hadar D, Gaudin A, Yang F, Folta-Stogniew E, Saltzman WM, Amiram M, Isaacs FJ. Tuning protein half-life in mouse using sequence-defined biopolymers functionalized with lipids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2103099119. [PMID: 35046019 PMCID: PMC8794819 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103099119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of biologics in the treatment of numerous diseases has increased steadily over the past decade due to their high specificities, low toxicity, and limited side effects. Despite this success, peptide- and protein-based drugs are limited by short half-lives and immunogenicity. To address these challenges, we use a genomically recoded organism to produce genetically encoded elastin-like polypeptide-protein fusions containing multiple instances of para-azidophenylalanine (pAzF). Precise lipidation of these pAzF residues generated a set of sequence-defined synthetic biopolymers with programmable binding affinity to albumin without ablating the activity of model fusion proteins, and with tunable blood serum half-lives spanning 5 to 94% of albumin's half-life in a mouse model. Our findings present a proof of concept for the use of genetically encoded bioorthogonal conjugation sites for multisite lipidation to tune protein stability in mouse serum. This work establishes a programmable approach to extend and tune the half-life of protein or peptide therapeutics and a technical foundation to produce functionalized biopolymers endowed with programmable chemical and biophysical properties with broad applications in medicine, materials science, and biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen Vanderschuren
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516
| | - Pol Arranz-Gibert
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516
| | - Minsoo Khang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Dagan Hadar
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Alice Gaudin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Ewa Folta-Stogniew
- W. M. Keck Biotechnology Research Laboratory, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - W Mark Saltzman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
- Department of Cellular & Molecular Physiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Miriam Amiram
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel;
| | - Farren J Isaacs
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520;
- Systems Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
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15
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van Strien J, Warmenhoven H, Logiantara A, Makurat M, Aglas L, Bethanis A, Leboux R, van Rijt L, MacKay JA, van Schijndel JW, Schneider G, Olsthoorn R, Jiskoot W, van Ree R, Kros A. Bet v 1-displaying elastin-like polypeptide nanoparticles induce a strong humoral and weak CD4+ T-cell response against Bet v 1 in a murine immunogenicity model. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1006776. [PMID: 36275650 PMCID: PMC9583423 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1006776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing concern about the toxicity of colloidal aluminum salts used as adjuvants in subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT). Therefore, alternative adjuvants and delivery systems are being explored to replace alum in SCIT. We applied micellar elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs), a type of self-assembling protein, to replace alum as vaccine adjuvant in birch pollen SCIT. ELP and an ELP-Bet v 1 fusion protein were expressed in E. coli and purified by immuno-affinity chromatography and inverse-transition cycling (ITC). Nanoparticles self-assembled from ELP and a 9:1 ELP/ELP-Bet v 1 mixture were characterized by using dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy. Allergenicity was assessed by measuring mediator release from rat basophilic leukemia cells transformed with the human FcϵR1 and sensitized with sera derived from human birch pollen allergic patients. Humoral and T-cell immunity were investigated by immunizing naïve mice with the ELP/ELP-Bet v 1 nanoparticles or alum-adsorbed Bet v 1, both containing 36 µg Bet v 1. ELP and ELP/ELP-Bet v 1 self-assembled at 37°C into spherically shaped micelles with a diameter of ~45 nm. ELP conjugation made Bet v 1 hypo-allergenic (10-fold). Compared to alum-adsorbed Bet v 1, ELP/ELP-Bet v 1 nanoparticles induced stronger IgG responses with an earlier onset. Additionally, ELP/ELP-Bet v 1 did not induce Th2 skewing cytokines and IgE. The hypoallergenic character and strong humoral immune response in the absence of a Th2-skewing T-cell response make ELP-based nanoparticles a promising candidate to replace alum in SCIT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolinde van Strien
- Department of Supramolecular and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Hans Warmenhoven
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,R&D Department, Haarlems Allergenen Laboratorium (HAL) Allergy B.V., Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Adrian Logiantara
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Max Makurat
- Department of Supramolecular and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lorenz Aglas
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Biosciences, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Athanasios Bethanis
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Biosciences, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Romain Leboux
- Department of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Leonie van Rijt
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - J Andrew MacKay
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Gregory Schneider
- Department of Supramolecular and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - René Olsthoorn
- Department of Supramolecular and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Wim Jiskoot
- Department of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Ronald van Ree
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Alexander Kros
- Department of Supramolecular and Biomaterials Chemistry, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
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16
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Expression and Characterization of a Potent Long-Acting GLP-1 Receptor Like Agonist, Exendin-4-Fc. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10269-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
AbstractHuman GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) can produce a remarkable improvement in glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, its clinical benefits are limited by its short half-life, which is less than 2 min because of its small size and rapid enzymatic inactivation by dipeptidyl peptidase IV. We engineered Exendin-4-Fc, a 66-kDa fusion protein by linking an IgG2 Fc to Exendin-4. A stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cell line was obtained using electroporation. Exendin-4-Fc stimulated insulin secretion in INS-1 cells in a dose- and glucose-dependent manner and increased insulin mRNA expression. The plasma half-life of Exendin-4-Fc in cynomolgus monkeys was approximately 133.92 ± 25.1 h. In the KKAy mouse model of diabetes, one intraperitoneal injection of Exendin-4-Fc (1 mg/kg) reduced blood glucose levels for 5 days. A 4-week repeat-administration study identified sustained effects on blood glucose levels. Oral glucose tolerance tests conducted at the beginning and end of this 4-week period showed that Exendin-4-Fc produced a stable glucose lowering effect. In addition, KKAy mice treated with Exendin-4-Fc showed statistically significant weight loss from day 23. In conclusion, these properties of Exendin-4-Fc demonstrated that it could be a potential long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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17
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Bidwell GL. Novel Protein Therapeutics Created Using the Elastin-Like Polypeptide Platform. Physiology (Bethesda) 2021; 36:367-381. [PMID: 34486397 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00026.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are bioengineered proteins that have a unique physical property, a thermally triggered inverse phase transition, that can be exploited for drug delivery. ELP-fusion proteins can be used as soluble biologics, thermally targeted drug carriers, self-assembling nanoparticles, and slow-release drug depots. Because of their unique physical characteristics and versatility for delivery of nearly any type of therapeutic, ELP-based drug delivery systems represent a promising platform for biologics development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gene L Bidwell
- Departments of Neurology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Pharmacology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
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18
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Jenkins IC, Milligan JJ, Chilkoti A. Genetically Encoded Elastin-Like Polypeptides for Drug Delivery. Adv Healthc Mater 2021; 10:e2100209. [PMID: 34080796 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202100209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are thermally responsive biopolymers that consist of a repeated amino acid motif derived from human tropoelastin. These peptides exhibit temperature-dependent phase behavior that can be harnessed to produce stimuli-responsive biomaterials, such as nanoparticles or injectable drug delivery depots. As ELPs are genetically encoded, the properties of ELP-based biomaterials can be controlled with a precision that is unattainable with synthetic polymers. Unique ELP architectures, such as spherical or rod-like micelles or injectable coacervates, can be designed by manipulating the ELP amino acid sequence and length. ELPs can be loaded with drugs to create controlled, intelligent drug delivery systems. ELPs are biodegradable, nonimmunogenic, and tolerant of therapeutic additives. These qualities make ELPs exquisitely well-suited to address current challenges in drug delivery and have spurred the development of ELP-based therapeutics to treat diseases-such as cancer and diabetes-and to promote wound healing. This review focuses on the use of ELPs in drug delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene C. Jenkins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham NC 277018 USA
| | - Joshua J. Milligan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham NC 277018 USA
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham NC 277018 USA
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19
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Shapiro DM, Ney M, Eghtesadi SA, Chilkoti A. Protein Phase Separation Arising from Intrinsic Disorder: First-Principles to Bespoke Applications. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:6740-6759. [PMID: 34143622 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c01146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The phase separation of biomolecules has become the focus of intense research in the past decade, with a growing body of research implicating this phenomenon in essentially all biological functions, including but not limited to homeostasis, stress responses, gene regulation, cell differentiation, and disease. Excellent reviews have been published previously on the underlying physical basis of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of biological molecules (Nat. Phys. 2015, 11, 899-904) and LLPS as it occurs natively in physiology and disease (Science 2017, 357, eaaf4382; Biochemistry 2018, 57, 2479-2487; Chem. Rev. 2014, 114, 6844-6879). Here, we review how the theoretical physical basis of LLPS has been used to better understand the behavior of biomolecules that undergo LLPS in natural systems and how this understanding has also led to the development of novel synthetic systems that exhibit biomolecular phase separation, and technologies that exploit these phenomena. In part 1 of this Review, we explore the theory behind the phase separation of biomolecules and synthetic macromolecules and introduce a few notable phase-separating biomolecules. In part 2, we cover experimental and computational methods used to study phase-separating proteins and how these techniques have uncovered the mechanisms underlying phase separation in physiology and disease. Finally, in part 3, we cover the development and applications of engineered phase-separating polypeptides, ranging from control of their self-assembly to create defined supramolecular architectures to reprogramming biological processes using engineered IDPs that exhibit LLPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Mark Shapiro
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Max Ney
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Seyed Ali Eghtesadi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
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20
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Ibeanu N, Egbu R, Onyekuru L, Javaheri H, Tee Khaw P, R. Williams G, Brocchini S, Awwad S. Injectables and Depots to Prolong Drug Action of Proteins and Peptides. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:E999. [PMID: 33096803 PMCID: PMC7589296 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12100999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins and peptides have emerged in recent years to treat a wide range of multifaceted diseases such as cancer, diabetes and inflammation. The emergence of polypeptides has yielded advancements in the fields of biopharmaceutical production and formulation. Polypeptides often display poor pharmacokinetics, limited permeability across biological barriers, suboptimal biodistribution, and some proclivity for immunogenicity. Frequent administration of polypeptides is generally required to maintain adequate therapeutic levels, which can limit efficacy and compliance while increasing adverse reactions. Many strategies to increase the duration of action of therapeutic polypeptides have been described with many clinical products having been developed. This review describes approaches to optimise polypeptide delivery organised by the commonly used routes of administration. Future innovations in formulation may hold the key to the continued successful development of proteins and peptides with optimal clinical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nkiruka Ibeanu
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (N.I.); (R.E.); (L.O.); (H.J.); (G.R.W.); (S.B.)
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK;
| | - Raphael Egbu
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (N.I.); (R.E.); (L.O.); (H.J.); (G.R.W.); (S.B.)
| | - Lesley Onyekuru
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (N.I.); (R.E.); (L.O.); (H.J.); (G.R.W.); (S.B.)
| | - Hoda Javaheri
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (N.I.); (R.E.); (L.O.); (H.J.); (G.R.W.); (S.B.)
| | - Peng Tee Khaw
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK;
| | - Gareth R. Williams
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (N.I.); (R.E.); (L.O.); (H.J.); (G.R.W.); (S.B.)
| | - Steve Brocchini
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (N.I.); (R.E.); (L.O.); (H.J.); (G.R.W.); (S.B.)
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK;
| | - Sahar Awwad
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK; (N.I.); (R.E.); (L.O.); (H.J.); (G.R.W.); (S.B.)
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK;
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21
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Chambre L, Martín-Moldes Z, Parker RN, Kaplan DL. Bioengineered elastin- and silk-biomaterials for drug and gene delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2020; 160:186-198. [PMID: 33080258 PMCID: PMC7736173 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Advances in medical science have led to diverse new therapeutic modalities, as well as enhanced understanding of the progression of various disease states. These findings facilitate the design and development of more customized and exquisite drug delivery systems that aim to improve therapeutic indices of drugs to treat a variety of conditions. Synthetic polymer-based drug carriers have often been the focus of such research. However, these structures suffer from challenges with heterogeneity of the starting material, limited chemical features, complex functionalization methods, and in some cases a lack of biocompatibility. Consequently, protein-based polymers have garnered much attention in recent years due to their monodisperse features, ease of production and functionalization, and biocompatibility. Genetic engineering techniques enable the advancement of protein-based drug delivery systems with finely tuned physicochemical properties, and thus an expanded level of customization unavailable with synthetic polymers. Of these genetically engineered proteins, elastin-like proteins (ELP), silk-like proteins (SLP), and silk-elastin-like proteins (SELP) provide a unique set of alternatives for designing drug delivery systems due to their inherent chemical and physical properties and ease of engineering afforded by recombinant DNA technologies. In this review we examine the advantages of genetically engineered drug delivery systems with emphasis on ELP and SLP constructions. Methods for fabrication and relevant biomedical applications will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Chambre
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Zaira Martín-Moldes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Rachael N Parker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - David L Kaplan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, 4 Colby St, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
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22
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Biosynthesized Multivalent Lacritin Peptides Stimulate Exosome Production in Human Corneal Epithelium. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176157. [PMID: 32859014 PMCID: PMC7504496 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Lacripep is a therapeutic peptide derived from the human tear protein, Lacritin. Lacripep interacts with syndecan-1 and induces mitogenesis upon the removal of heparan sulfates (HS) that are attached at the extracellular domain of syndecan-1. The presence of HS is a prerequisite for the syndecan-1 clustering that stimulates exosome biogenesis and release. Therefore, syndecan-1-mediated mitogenesis versus HS-mediated exosome biogenesis are assumed to be mutually exclusive. This study introduces a biosynthesized fusion between Lacripep and an elastin-like polypeptide named LP-A96, and evaluates its activity on cell motility enhancement versus exosome biogenesis. LP-A96 activates both downstream pathways in a dose-dependent manner. HCE-T cells at high confluence treated with 1 μM LP-A96 enhanced cell motility equipotent to Lacripep. However, cells at low density treated with 1 μM LP-A96 generated a 210-fold higher number of exosomes compared to those treated at low density with Lacripep. As monovalent Lacripep is capable of enhancing cell motility but not exosome biogenesis, activation of exosome biogenesis by LP-A96 not only suggests its utility as a novel molecular tool to study the Lacritin biology in the corneal epithelium but also implies activity as a potential therapeutic peptide that can further improve ocular surface health through the induction of exosomes.
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23
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Gilroy CA, Capozzi ME, Varanko AK, Tong J, D'Alessio DA, Campbell JE, Chilkoti A. Sustained release of a GLP-1 and FGF21 dual agonist from an injectable depot protects mice from obesity and hyperglycemia. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz9890. [PMID: 32923621 PMCID: PMC7449677 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz9890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
There is great interest in identifying a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based combination therapy that will more effectively promote weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a compelling yet previously unexplored drug candidate to combine with GLP-1 due to its thermogenic and insulin-sensitizing effects. Here, we describe the development of a biologic that fuses GLP-1 to FGF21 with an elastin-like polypeptide linker that acts as a sustained release module with zero-order drug release. We show that once-weekly dual-agonist treatment of diabetic mice results in potent weight-reducing effects and enhanced glycemic control that are not observed with either agonist alone. Furthermore, the dual-agonist formulation has superior efficacy compared to a GLP-1/FGF21 mixture, demonstrating the utility of combining two structurally distinct peptides into one multifunctional molecule. We anticipate that these results will spur further investigation into GLP-1/FGF21 multiagonism for the treatment of metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. A. Gilroy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - M. E. Capozzi
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - A. K. Varanko
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - J. Tong
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - D. A. D'Alessio
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - J. E. Campbell
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27701, USA
| | - A. Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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24
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Abstract
Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are stimulus-responsive biopolymers derived from human elastin. Their unique properties—including lower critical solution temperature phase behavior and minimal immunogenicity—make them attractive materials for a variety of biomedical applications. ELPs also benefit from recombinant synthesis and genetically encoded design; these enable control over the molecular weight and precise incorporation of peptides and pharmacological agents into the sequence. Because their size and sequence are defined, ELPs benefit from exquisite control over their structure and function, qualities that cannot be matched by synthetic polymers. As such, ELPs have been engineered to assemble into unique architectures and display bioactive agents for a variety of applications. This review discusses the design and representative biomedical applications of ELPs, focusing primarily on their use in tissue engineering and drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia K. Varanko
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Jonathan C. Su
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA
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25
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Reed EH, Schuster BS, Good MC, Hammer DA. SPLIT: Stable Protein Coacervation Using a Light Induced Transition. ACS Synth Biol 2020; 9:500-507. [PMID: 32078766 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.9b00503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Protein coacervates serve as hubs to concentrate and sequester proteins and nucleotides and thus function as membraneless organelles to manipulate cell physiology. We have engineered a coacervating protein to create tunable, synthetic membraneless organelles that assemble in response to a single pulse of light. Coacervation is driven by the intrinsically disordered RGG domain from the protein LAF-1, and opto-responsiveness is coded by the protein PhoCl, which cleaves in response to 405 nm light. We developed a fusion protein containing a solubilizing maltose-binding protein domain, PhoCl, and two copies of the RGG domain. Several seconds of illumination at 405 nm is sufficient to cleave PhoCl, removing the solubilization domain and enabling RGG-driven coacervation within minutes in cellular-sized water-in-oil emulsions. An optimized version of this system displayed light-induced coacervation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The methods described here provide novel strategies for inducing protein phase separation using light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen H. Reed
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Benjamin S. Schuster
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Matthew C. Good
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Daniel A. Hammer
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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26
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Peddi S, Roberts SK, MacKay JA. Nanotoxicology of an Elastin-like Polypeptide Rapamycin Formulation for Breast Cancer. Biomacromolecules 2020; 21:1091-1102. [PMID: 31927993 PMCID: PMC7219203 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The clinical utility of rapamycin (Rapa) is limited by solubility, bioavailability, and side effects. To overcome this, our team recently reported an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) nanoparticle with high affinity, noncovalent drug binding, and integrin-mediated cellular uptake. Given the scarcity of pharmacology/toxicology studies of ELP-based drug carriers, this article explores safety and efficacy of ELP-Rapa. ELP-Rapa nanoparticles tested negative for hemolysis, did not interfere in plasma coagulation nor in platelet function, and did not activate the complement. Upon incubation with HepG2 cells, ELP-Rapa revealed significant cellular uptake and trafficking to acidic organelles, consistent with lysosomes. Internalized ELP-Rapa nanoparticles increased oxidative stress 4-fold compared to free drug or free ELP controls. However, mice bearing orthotopic hormone receptor positive BT-474 breast tumors, given a high dose (∼10-fold above therapeutic dose) of 1 month administration of ELP-Rapa, did not induce hepatotoxicity. On the other hand, tumor growth and mTOR signaling were suppressed without affecting body weight. Nanoparticles assembled using ELP technology appear to be a safe and efficient strategy for delivering Rapa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Peddi
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033-9121, United States
| | - S Kenny Roberts
- Eunoia Biotech LLC, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania 19096, United States
| | - John Andrew MacKay
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033-9121, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-9020, United States
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Saha S, Banskota S, Roberts S, Kirmani N, Chilkoti A. Engineering the Architecture of Elastin-Like Polypeptides: From Unimers to Hierarchical Self-Assembly. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2020; 3:1900164. [PMID: 34307837 PMCID: PMC8297442 DOI: 10.1002/adtp.201900164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Well-defined tunable nanostructures formed through the hierarchical self-assembly of peptide building blocks have drawn significant attention due to their potential applications in biomedical science. Artificial protein polymers derived from elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs), which are based on the repeating sequence of tropoelastin (the water-soluble precursor to elastin), provide a promising platform for creating nanostructures due to their biocompatibility, ease of synthesis, and customizable architecture. By designing the sequence and composition of ELPs at the gene level, their physicochemical properties can be controlled to a degree that is unmatched by synthetic polymers. A variety of ELP-based nanostructures are designed, inspired by the self-assembly of elastin and other proteins in biological systems. The choice of building blocks determines not only the physical properties of the nanostructures, but also their self-assembly into architectures ranging from spherical micelles to elongated nanofibers. This review focuses on the molecular determinants of ELP and ELP-hybrid self-assembly and formation of spherical, rod-like, worm-like, fibrillar, and vesicle architectures. A brief discussion of the potential biomedical applications of these supramolecular assemblies is also included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumen Saha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Samagya Banskota
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Stefan Roberts
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Nadia Kirmani
- Department of Biology, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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28
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Santos M, Serrano-Dúcar S, González-Valdivieso J, Vallejo R, Girotti A, Cuadrado P, Arias FJ. Genetically Engineered Elastin-based Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications. Curr Med Chem 2020; 26:7117-7146. [PMID: 29737250 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180508094637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Protein-based polymers are some of the most promising candidates for a new generation of innovative biomaterials as recent advances in genetic-engineering and biotechnological techniques mean that protein-based biomaterials can be designed and constructed with a higher degree of complexity and accuracy. Moreover, their sequences, which are derived from structural protein-based modules, can easily be modified to include bioactive motifs that improve their functions and material-host interactions, thereby satisfying fundamental biological requirements. The accuracy with which these advanced polypeptides can be produced, and their versatility, self-assembly behavior, stimuli-responsiveness and biocompatibility, means that they have attracted increasing attention for use in biomedical applications such as cell culture, tissue engineering, protein purification, surface engineering and controlled drug delivery. The biopolymers discussed in this review are elastin-derived protein-based polymers which are biologically inspired and biomimetic materials. This review will also focus on the design, synthesis and characterization of these genetically encoded polymers and their potential utility for controlled drug and gene delivery, as well as in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Santos
- BIOFORGE Research Group, CIBER-BBN, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Sofía Serrano-Dúcar
- BIOFORGE Research Group, CIBER-BBN, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | | | - Reinaldo Vallejo
- BIOFORGE Research Group, CIBER-BBN, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Alessandra Girotti
- BIOFORGE Research Group, CIBER-BBN, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Purificación Cuadrado
- BIOFORGE Research Group, CIBER-BBN, University of Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
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29
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Doberenz F, Zeng K, Willems C, Zhang K, Groth T. Thermoresponsive polymers and their biomedical application in tissue engineering - a review. J Mater Chem B 2020; 8:607-628. [PMID: 31939978 DOI: 10.1039/c9tb02052g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Thermoresponsive polymers hold great potential in the biomedical field, since they enable the fabrication of cell sheets, in situ drug delivery and 3D-printing under physiological conditions. In this review we provide an overview of several thermoresponsive polymers and their application, with focus on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-surfaces for cell sheet engineering. Basic knowledge of important processes like protein adsorption on surfaces and cell adhesion is provided. For different thermoresponsive polymers, namely PNIPAm, Pluronics, elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) and poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL), synthesis and basic chemical and physical properties have been described and the mechanism of their thermoresponsive behavior highlighted. Fabrication methods of thermoresponsive surfaces have been discussed, focusing on PNIPAm, and describing several methods in detail. The latter part of this review is dedicated to the application of the thermoresponsive polymers and with regard to cell sheet engineering, the process of temperature-dependent cell sheet detachment is explained. We provide insight into several applications of PNIPAm surfaces in cell sheet engineering. For Pluronics, ELP and PNVCL we show their application in the field of drug delivery and tissue engineering. We conclude, that research of thermoresponsive polymers has made big progress in recent years, especially for PNIPAm since the 1990s. However, manifold research possibilities, e.g. in surface fabrication and 3D-printing and further translational applications are conceivable in near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Falko Doberenz
- Department Biomedical Materials, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Heinrich-Damerow-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Kui Zeng
- Wood Technology and Wood Chemistry, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 4, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Willems
- Department Biomedical Materials, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Heinrich-Damerow-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Kai Zhang
- Wood Technology and Wood Chemistry, University of Goettingen, Büsgenweg 4, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Groth
- Department Biomedical Materials, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Heinrich-Damerow-Strasse 4, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany. and Interdisciplinary Center of Material Science, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, 06099 Halle (Saale), Germany and Institute for Bionic Technologies and Engineering, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 1, 19991, Trubetskaya st. 8, Moscow, Russian Federation
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30
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Fan L, Fan Y, Fan H, Huang K. Evaluation of Strategies for Decreasing Blood Glucose Using Albuminbinding Domain. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2020; 21:605-612. [PMID: 31893990 DOI: 10.2174/1389201021666200101105018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Frequent administrations for DPPIV-resistant GLP-1 analogs are necessary to maintain the blood concentrations due to the short half-life of less than 5 minutes. However, most delivery systems that possess the ability of sustainable release of GLP-1 have drawbacks such as low yield, high cost and undesirable side effects. Therefore, we aimed to prepare a simple and efficient delivery system that could be feasibly applied to reduce blood glucose. METHODS A novel GLP-1 delivery system (GLP-1-ELPs-SA) was prepared and characterized by circular dichroism. Furthermore, the activity and property of GLP-1-ELPs-SA were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS GLP-1-ELPs-SA are easily expressed in E. coli in a soluble formulation and purified through the inverse transition cycle. GLP-1-ELPs-SA spontaneously generated depot under physiological conditions. GLP-1-ELPs-SA was also found to be dispersed in the blood vessels from the depot and showed a high affinity to bind with mice (C57BL/6J) albumin, which shows that GLP-1-ELPs-SA has a long circulation time in vivo. CONCLUSION Our delivery system could markedly decrease the clearance of recombinant proteins based on serum albumin, without substantially increasing the protein molecular weight and remarkably reducing the blood glucose within 120 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Fan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology Lab, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Changle Road 68, Nanjing, 210006, China.,School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang 24, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Yani Fan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology Lab, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Changle Road 68, Nanjing, 210006, China
| | - Hongwei Fan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology Lab, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Changle Road 68, Nanjing, 210006, China.,School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang 24, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Kaizong Huang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology Lab, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Changle Road 68, Nanjing, 210006, China
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31
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Tan H, Su W, Zhang W, Wang P, Sattler M, Zou P. Recent Advances in Half-life Extension Strategies for Therapeutic Peptides and Proteins. Curr Pharm Des 2019; 24:4932-4946. [PMID: 30727869 DOI: 10.2174/1381612825666190206105232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Peptides and proteins are two classes of molecules with attractive possibilities for therapeutic applications. However, the bottleneck for the therapeutic application of many peptides and proteins is their short halflives in vivo, typically just a few minutes to hours. Half-life extension strategies have been extensively studied and many of them have been proven to be effective in the generation of long-acting therapeutics with improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in half-life extension strategies, illustrate their potential applications and give some examples, highlighting the strategies that have been used in approved drugs and for drugs in clinical trials. Meanwhile, several novel strategies that are still in the process of discovery or at a preclinical stage are also introduced. In these strategies, the two most frequently used half-life extension methods are the reduction in the rate of renal clearance or the exploitation of the recycling mechanism of FcRn by binding to the albumin or IgG-Fc. Here, we discuss half-life extension strategies of recombinant therapeutic protein via genetic fusion, rather than chemical conjugation such as PEGylation. With the rapid development of genetic engineering and protein engineering, novel strategies for half-life extension have been emerged consistently. Some of these will be evaluated in clinical trials and may become viable alternatives to current strategies for making next-generation biodrugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanbo Tan
- Industrial Enzymes National Engineering Laboratory, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Wencheng Su
- Industrial Enzymes National Engineering Laboratory, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenyu Zhang
- Industrial Enzymes National Engineering Laboratory, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Pengju Wang
- Industrial Enzymes National Engineering Laboratory, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China
| | - Michael Sattler
- Industrial Enzymes National Engineering Laboratory, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.,Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich at Chair Biomolecular NMR Spectroscopy, Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
| | - Peijian Zou
- Industrial Enzymes National Engineering Laboratory, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, China.,Institute of Structural Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.,Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich at Chair Biomolecular NMR Spectroscopy, Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
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32
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Utilizing a Kidney-Targeting Peptide to Improve Renal Deposition of a Pro-Angiogenic Protein Biopolymer. Pharmaceutics 2019; 11:pharmaceutics11100542. [PMID: 31635263 PMCID: PMC6835230 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics11100542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) are versatile protein biopolymers used in drug delivery due to their modular nature, allowing fusion of therapeutics and targeting agents. We previously developed an ELP fusion with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and demonstrated its therapeutic efficacy in translational swine models of renovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. The goal of the current work was to refine renal targeting and reduce off-target tissue deposition of ELP–VEGF. The ELP–VEGF fusion protein was modified by adding a kidney-targeting peptide (KTP) to the N-terminus. All control proteins (ELP, KTP–ELP, ELP–VEGF, and KTP–ELP–VEGF) were also produced to thoroughly assess the effects of each domain on in vitro cell binding and activity and in vivo pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. KTP–ELP–VEGF was equipotent to ELP–VEGF and free VEGF in vitro in the stimulation of primary glomerular microvascular endothelial cell proliferation, tube formation, and extracellular matrix invasion. The contribution of each region of the KTP–ELP–VEGF protein to the cell binding specificity was assayed in primary human renal endothelial cells, tubular epithelial cells, and podocytes, demonstrating that the VEGF domain induced binding to endothelial cells and the KTP domain increased binding to all renal cell types. The pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of KTP–ELP–VEGF and all control proteins were determined in SKH-1 Elite hairless mice. The addition of KTP to ELP slowed its in vivo clearance and increased its renal deposition. Furthermore, addition of KTP redirected ELP–VEGF, which was found at high levels in the liver, to the kidney. Intrarenal histology showed similar distribution of all proteins, with high levels in blood vessels and tubules. The VEGF-containing proteins also accumulated in punctate foci in the glomeruli. These studies provide a thorough characterization of the effects of a kidney-targeting peptide and an active cytokine on the biodistribution of these novel biologics. Furthermore, they demonstrate that renal specificity of a proven therapeutic can be improved using a targeting peptide.
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33
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Israeli B, Vaserman L, Amiram M. Multi‐Site Incorporation of Nonstandard Amino Acids into Protein‐Based Biomaterials. Isr J Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ijch.201900043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bar Israeli
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva Israel
| | - Livne Vaserman
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva Israel
| | - Miriam Amiram
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva Israel
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34
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Manzari MT, Anderson GR, Lin KH, Soderquist RS, Çakir M, Zhang M, Moore CE, Skelton RN, Fèvre M, Li X, Bellucci JJ, Wardell SE, Costa SA, Wood KC, Chilkoti A. Genomically informed small-molecule drugs overcome resistance to a sustained-release formulation of an engineered death receptor agonist in patient-derived tumor models. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaaw9162. [PMID: 31517048 PMCID: PMC6726446 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw9162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Extrinsic pathway agonists have failed repeatedly in the clinic for three core reasons: Inefficient ligand-induced receptor multimerization, poor pharmacokinetic properties, and tumor intrinsic resistance. Here, we address these factors by (i) using a highly potent death receptor agonist (DRA), (ii) developing an injectable depot for sustained DRA delivery, and (iii) leveraging a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screen in DRA-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) cells to identify functional drivers of resistance. Pharmacological blockade of XIAP and BCL-XL by targeted small-molecule drugs strongly enhanced the antitumor activity of DRA in CRC cell lines. Recombinant fusion of the DRA to a thermally responsive elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) creates a gel-like depot upon subcutaneous injection that abolishes tumors in DRA-sensitive Colo205 mouse xenografts. Combination of ELPdepot-DRA with BCL-XL and/or XIAP inhibitors led to tumor growth inhibition and extended survival in DRA-resistant patient-derived xenografts. This strategy provides a precision medicine approach to overcome similar challenges with other protein-based cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandana T. Manzari
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Grace R. Anderson
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Kevin H. Lin
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Ryan S. Soderquist
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Merve Çakir
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Mitchell Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Chandler E. Moore
- Department of Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Rachel N. Skelton
- Department of Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Maréva Fèvre
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Xinghai Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Joseph J. Bellucci
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Suzanne E. Wardell
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Simone A. Costa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Kris C. Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Corresponding author. (K.C.W.); (A.C.)
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Corresponding author. (K.C.W.); (A.C.)
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35
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Kouhi A, Yao Z, Zheng L, Li Z, Hu P, Epstein AL, MacKay JA. Generation of a Monoclonal Antibody to Detect Elastin-like Polypeptides. Biomacromolecules 2019; 20:2942-2952. [PMID: 31276401 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b00503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The identification and use of antibodies dominate the biologic, clinical diagnostic, and therapeutic landscapes. In particular, antibodies have become essential tools in a variety of protein analytical experiments and to study the disposition of biologic therapeutics. One emerging class of peptide biologics is known as the elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs), which are repetitive protein polymers inspired by human tropoelastin. A major limitation in the clinical translation of ELP biologics has been a lack of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to characterize their identity during expression. To facilitate these studies, we successfully generated a new mAb that is specific toward ELPs and ELP fusion proteins. A purified antibody was evaluated in an ELISA, western blotting, and immunofluorescence assay. The optimal anti-ELP mAb proved to be highly reactive and specific toward ELPs. Moreover, they were able to detect ELPs with a variety of aliphatic guest residues. ELPs phase-separate in response to heating; furthermore, when incubated at a great excess of ELPs, the anti-ELP mAb partially blocks phase separation. These findings are direct evidence that novel murine mAbs can be raised against purified ELPs. This new reagent will enable purification, experimental detection, and characterization of these biopolymers.
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36
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Jung SH, Lee JY, Lee SH, Kwon MH, Han ET, Park WS, Hong SH, Kim YM, Ha KS. Preventive Effects of Thermosensitive Biopolymer-Conjugated C-Peptide against High Glucose-Induced Endothelial Cell Dysfunction. Macromol Biosci 2019; 19:e1900129. [PMID: 31310433 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201900129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
C-peptide has emerged as a potential drug for treating diabetic complications. However, clinical application of C-peptide is limited by its short half-life during circulation and costly synthesis methods. To overcome these limitations, a biocompatible and thermosensitive biopolymer-C-peptide conjugate composed of human C-peptide genetically conjugated at the C-terminus of nine repeats of lysine-containing elastin-like polypeptide (K9-C-peptide) is generated. K9-C-peptide exhibits reversible thermal phase behavior with a transition temperature dependent on polypeptide concentration. Degradation of K9-C-peptide hydrogel depends on the concentration of four cleavage enzymes as well as the reaction time and frequency of treatments with elastase-2. The preventive effect of K9-C-peptide against high glucose-induced human aortic endothelial cell dysfunction is further investigated. K9-C-peptide inhibits high glucose-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species generation, transglutaminase 2 activation, and apoptosis, similar to the inhibitory effects of human C-peptide. Thus, K9-C-peptide is a potential drug depot for the sustained delivery of C-peptide to treat diabetic complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Se-Hui Jung
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
| | - Jee-Yeon Lee
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
| | - Seong-Hyeon Lee
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
| | - Mi-Hye Kwon
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
| | - Eun-Taek Han
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
| | - Won Sun Park
- Department of Physiology, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
| | - Seok-Ho Hong
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
| | - Young-Myeong Kim
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
| | - Kwon-Soo Ha
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Kangwon-Do, 200-701, Korea
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37
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Varanko AK, Chilkoti A. Molecular and Materials Engineering for Delivery of Peptide Drugs to Treat Type 2 Diabetes. Adv Healthc Mater 2019; 8:e1801509. [PMID: 30762299 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201801509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Type 2 diabetes is exploding globally. Despite numerous treatment options, nearly half of type 2 diabetics are unsuccessful at properly managing the disease, primarily due to a lack of patient compliance, driven by adverse side effects as well as complicated and frequent dosing schedules. Improving the delivery of type 2 diabetes drugs has the potential to increase patient compliance and thus, greatly enhance health outcomes and quality of life. This review focuses on molecular and materials engineering strategies that have been implemented to improve the delivery of peptide drugs to treat type 2 diabetes. Peptide drugs benefit from high potency and specificity but suffer from instability and short half-lives that limit their utility as therapeutics and pose a significant delivery challenge. Several approaches have been developed to improve the availability and efficacy of antidiabetic peptides and proteins in vivo. These methods are reviewed herein and include devices, which sustain the release of peptides in long term, and molecular engineering strategies, which prolong circulation time and slow the release of therapeutic peptides. By optimizing the delivery of these peptides and proteins using these approaches, long-term glucose control can be achieved in type 2 diabetes patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA
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38
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Town AR, Taylor J, Dawson K, Niezabitowska E, Elbaz NM, Corker A, Garcia-Tuñón E, McDonald TO. Tuning HIV drug release from a nanogel-basedin situforming implant by changing nanogel size. J Mater Chem B 2019; 7:373-383. [DOI: 10.1039/c8tb01597j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports anin situforming implant based on responsive nanogels that gives tuneable long-acting drug release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R. Town
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Liverpool
- Crown Street
- Liverpool
- UK
| | - Jessica Taylor
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Liverpool
- Crown Street
- Liverpool
- UK
| | - Karl Dawson
- School of Engineering
- Brownlow Hill
- University of Liverpool
- Liverpool
- UK
| | | | - Nancy M. Elbaz
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Liverpool
- Crown Street
- Liverpool
- UK
| | - Andrew Corker
- School of Engineering
- Brownlow Hill
- University of Liverpool
- Liverpool
- UK
| | | | - Tom O. McDonald
- Department of Chemistry
- University of Liverpool
- Crown Street
- Liverpool
- UK
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39
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Bordat A, Boissenot T, Nicolas J, Tsapis N. Thermoresponsive polymer nanocarriers for biomedical applications. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2019; 138:167-192. [PMID: 30315832 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Polymer nanocarriers allow drug encapsulation leading to fragile molecule protection from early degradation/metabolization, increased solubility of poorly soluble drugs and improved plasmatic half-life. However, efficiently controlling the drug release from nanocarriers is still challenging. Thermoresponsive polymers exhibiting either a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) or an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) in aqueous medium may be the key to build spatially and temporally controlled drug delivery systems. In this review, we provide an overview of LCST and UCST polymers used as building blocks for thermoresponsive nanocarriers for biomedical applications. Recent nanocarriers based on thermoresponsive polymer exhibiting unprecedented features useful for biomedical applications are also discussed. While LCST nanocarriers have been studied for over two decades, UCST nanocarriers have recently emerged and already show great potential for effective thermoresponsive drug release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Bordat
- Institut Galien Paris-Sud, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Tanguy Boissenot
- Institut Galien Paris-Sud, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Julien Nicolas
- Institut Galien Paris-Sud, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Nicolas Tsapis
- Institut Galien Paris-Sud, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290 Châtenay-Malabry, France.
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40
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Fletcher EE, Yan D, Kosiba AA, Zhou Y, Shi H. Biotechnological applications of elastin-like polypeptides and the inverse transition cycle in the pharmaceutical industry. Protein Expr Purif 2019; 153:114-120. [PMID: 30217600 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Proteins are essential throughout the biological and biomedical sciences and the purification strategies of proteins of interest have advanced over centuries. Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are compound polymers that have recently been highlighted for their sharp and reversible phase transition property when heated above their lower critical solution temperature (LCST). ELPs preserve this behavior when fused to a protein, and as a result providing a simple method to isolate a recombinant ELP fusion protein from cell contaminants by taking the solution through the soluble and insoluble phase of the ELP fusion protein, a technique designated as the inverse transition cycle (ITC). ITC is considered an inexpensive and efficient way of purifying recombinant ELP fusion proteins. In addition, ELPs render recombinant fusion protein more stability and a longer clear time in blood stream, which give ELPs a lot of valuable applications in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry. This article reviews the modernizations of ELPs and briefly highlights on the possible use of technologies such as the automatic piston discharge (APD) centrifuges to improve the efficiency of the ITC in the pharmaceutical industry to obtain benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuella E Fletcher
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, No. 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, PR China
| | - Dandan Yan
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, No. 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, PR China
| | - Anthony A Kosiba
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, No. 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, PR China
| | - Yang Zhou
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, No. 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, PR China.
| | - Haifeng Shi
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, No. 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang, 212013, PR China.
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41
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Wang Z, Guo J, Ning J, Feng X, Liu X, Sun J, Chen X, Lu F, Gao W. One-month zero-order sustained release and tumor eradication after a single subcutaneous injection of interferon alpha fused with a body-temperature-responsive polypeptide. Biomater Sci 2019; 7:104-112. [DOI: 10.1039/c8bm01096j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Upon a single subcutaneous injection, IFN-ELP in situ forms a depot, leading to one-month sustained release and dramatically enhanced tumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoran Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- School of Medicine
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
- China
| | - Jianwen Guo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- School of Medicine
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
- China
| | - Jing Ning
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center
- School of Basic Medical Sciences
- Peking University Health Science Center
- Beijing 100191
- China
| | - Xiaoyu Feng
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center
- School of Basic Medical Sciences
- Peking University Health Science Center
- Beijing 100191
- China
| | - Xinyu Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- School of Medicine
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
- China
| | - Jiawei Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- School of Medicine
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
- China
| | - Xiangmei Chen
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center
- School of Basic Medical Sciences
- Peking University Health Science Center
- Beijing 100191
- China
| | - Fengmin Lu
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center
- School of Basic Medical Sciences
- Peking University Health Science Center
- Beijing 100191
- China
| | - Weiping Gao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering
- School of Medicine
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing 100084
- China
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42
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Kuna M, Waller JP, Logue OC, Bidwell GL. Polymer size affects biodistribution and placental accumulation of the drug delivery biopolymer elastin-like polypeptide in a rodent pregnancy model. Placenta 2018; 72-73:20-27. [PMID: 30501877 PMCID: PMC6287274 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Fusion of therapeutic agents to Elastin-like Polypeptide (ELP) is a novel drug delivery strategy for prevention of placental drug transfer. Previous studies have used a 60 kDa ELP tag for this purpose. However, placental transfer of ELP may be size dependent. The goal of this study was to measure the effects of ELP polymer size on pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and placental transfer of ELP. METHODS Three ELPs ranging from 25 to 86 kDa (4.1-6.8 nm hydrodynamic radius) were fluorescently labeled and administered by i.v. bolus to pregnant Sprague Dawley rats on gestational day 14. Plasma levels were monitored for 4 h, organ levels and placental transfer determined by ex vivo fluorescence imaging, and placental localization determined by confocal microscopy. RESULTS Increasing ELP size resulted in slower plasma clearance and increased deposition in all major maternal organs, except in the kidneys where an opposite effect was observed. Placental levels increased with an increase in size, while in the pups, little to no ELP was detected. DISCUSSION Pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of ELPs during pregnancy are size dependent, but all ELPs tested were too large to traverse the placental barrier. These studies verify that ELP fusion is a powerful method of modulating half-life and preventing placental transfer of cargo molecules. The tunable nature of the ELP sequence makes it ideal for drug delivery applications during pregnancy, where it can be used to target drugs to the mother while preventing fetal drug exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Kuna
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Jamarius P Waller
- Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Omar C Logue
- Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Gene L Bidwell
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
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43
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Banskota S, Yousefpour P, Kirmani N, Li X, Chilkoti A. Long circulating genetically encoded intrinsically disordered zwitterionic polypeptides for drug delivery. Biomaterials 2018; 192:475-485. [PMID: 30504081 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The clinical utility of many peptide and protein drugs is limited by their short in-vivo half-life. To address this limitation, we report a new class of polypeptide-based materials that have a long plasma circulation time. The design of these polypeptides is motivated by the hypothesis that incorporating a zwitterionic sequence, within an intrinsically disordered polypeptide motif, would impart "stealth" behavior to the polypeptide and increase its plasma residence time, a behavior akin to that of synthetic stealth polymers. We designed these zwitterionic polypeptides (ZIPPs) with a repetitive (VPX1X2G)n motif, where X1 and X2 are cationic and anionic amino acids, respectively, and n is the number of repeats. To test this hypothesis, we synthesized a set of ZIPPs with different pairs of cationic and anionic residues with varied chain length. We show that a combination of lysine and glutamic acid in the ZIPP confer superior pharmacokinetics, for both intravenous and subcutaneous administration, compared to uncharged control polypeptides. Finally, to demonstrate their clinical utility, we fused the best performing ZIPP sequence to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1), a peptide drug used for treatment of type-2 diabetes and show that the ZIPP-GLP1 fusion outperforms an uncharged polypeptide of the same molecular weight in a mouse model of type-2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samagya Banskota
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Parisa Yousefpour
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Nadia Kirmani
- Department of Biology, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Xinghai Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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Kuna M, Mahdi F, Chade AR, Bidwell GL. Molecular Size Modulates Pharmacokinetics, Biodistribution, and Renal Deposition of the Drug Delivery Biopolymer Elastin-like Polypeptide. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7923. [PMID: 29784932 PMCID: PMC5962569 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24897-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) are engineered proteins that consist of repetitions of a five amino acid motif, and their composition is easily modified to adjust their physical properties and attach therapeutics. Because of the repetitive nature of the ELP sequence, polymer size is particularly amenable to manipulation. ELP fusion proteins are being actively developed as therapeutics for many disease applications, and how the ELP size and shape affects its pharmacokinetics and biodistribution is a critical question for the general field of ELP drug delivery. To address this, we generated a library of ELPs ranging in size from 25 kDa to 110 kDa. Terminal plasma half-life was directly proportional to polymer size, and organ biodistribution was also size dependent. The kidneys accumulated the highest levels of ELP of all sizes, followed by the liver. Within the kidney, most ELP was found in the proximal tubule, but intra-renal localization shifted from exclusively cortical to a mixture of cortical and medullary as ELP size increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Kuna
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Fakhri Mahdi
- Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Alejandro R Chade
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Gene L Bidwell
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA. .,Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
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45
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Gilroy CA, Roberts S, Chilkoti A. Fusion of fibroblast growth factor 21 to a thermally responsive biopolymer forms an injectable depot with sustained anti-diabetic action. J Control Release 2018; 277:154-164. [PMID: 29551712 PMCID: PMC5945213 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is under investigation as a type 2 diabetes protein drug, but its efficacy is impeded by rapid in vivo clearance and by costly production methods. To improve the protein's therapeutic utility, we recombinantly expressed FGF21 as a fusion with an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), a peptide polymer that exhibits reversible thermal phase behavior. Below a critical temperature, ELPs exist as miscible unimers, while above, they associate into a coacervate. The thermal responsiveness of ELPs is retained upon fusion to proteins, which has notable consequences for the production and in vivo delivery of FGF21. First, the ELP acts as a solubility enhancer during E. coli expression, yielding active fusion protein from the soluble cell lysate fraction and eliminating the protein refolding steps that are required for purification of FGF21 from inclusion bodies. Second, the ELP's phase transition behavior is exploited for facile chromatography-free purification of the ELP-FGF21 fusion. Third, the composition and molecular weight of the ELP are designed such that the ELP-FGF21 fusion undergoes a phase transition triggered solely by body heat, resulting in an immiscible viscous phase upon subcutaneous (s.c.) injection and thereby creating an injectable depot. Indeed, a single s.c. injection of ELP-FGF21 affords up to five days of sustained glycemic control in ob/ob mice. The ELP fusion partner massively streamlines production and purification of FGF21, while providing a controlled release method for delivery that reduces the frequency of injection, thereby enhancing the pharmacological properties of FGF21 as a protein drug to treat metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caslin A Gilroy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Stefan Roberts
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dr., Campus Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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46
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Improving long-term subcutaneous drug delivery by regulating material-bioenvironment interaction. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2018; 127:20-34. [PMID: 29391221 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2018.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Subcutaneous long-acting release (LAR) formulations have been extensively developed in the clinic to increase patient compliance and reduce treatment cost. Despite preliminary success for some LAR systems, a major obstacle limiting the therapeutic effect remains on their interaction with surrounding tissues. In this review, we summarize how living bodies respond to injected or implanted materials, and highlight some typical strategies based on smart material design, which may significantly improve long-term subcutaneous drug delivery. Moreover, possible strategies to achieve ultra-long (months, years) subcutaneous drug delivery systems are proposed. Based on these discussions, we believe the well-designed subcutaneous long-acting formulations will hold great promise to improve patient quality of life in the clinic.
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47
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Application of elastin-based nanoparticles displaying antibody binding domains for a homogeneous immunoassay. Anal Biochem 2018; 544:72-79. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2017.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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48
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Huang K, Gao M, Fan L, Lai Y, Fan H, Hua Z. IR820 covalently linked with self-assembled polypeptide for photothermal therapy applications in cancer. Biomater Sci 2018; 6:2925-2931. [DOI: 10.1039/c8bm00399h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Elastin-like polypeptide covalently was linked with IR820 in an aqueous environment, followed by self-assembly into nanoparticles after adding to zinc ions solution. ELP-IR820 nanoparticles significantly accumulated at the tumor site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaizong Huang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology Lab
- Nanjing First Hospital
- Nanjing Medical University
- Nanjing 210006
- P. R. China
| | - Mengyue Gao
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
- School of Life Sciences
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- P. R. China
| | - Lin Fan
- School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Nanjing 210009
- P. R. China
| | - Yueyang Lai
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
- School of Life Sciences
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- P. R. China
| | - Hongwei Fan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology Lab
- Nanjing First Hospital
- Nanjing Medical University
- Nanjing 210006
- P. R. China
| | - Zichun Hua
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
- School of Life Sciences
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- P. R. China
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49
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Luginbuhl KM, Mozhdehi D, Dzuricky M, Yousefpour P, Huang FC, Mayne NR, Buehne KL, Chilkoti A. Recombinant Synthesis of Hybrid Lipid-Peptide Polymer Fusions that Self-Assemble and Encapsulate Hydrophobic Drugs. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017; 56:13979-13984. [PMID: 28879687 PMCID: PMC5909378 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201704625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Inspired by biohybrid molecules that are synthesized in Nature through post-translational modification (PTM), we have exploited a eukaryotic PTM to recombinantly synthesize lipid-polypeptide hybrid materials. By co-expressing yeast N-myristoyltransferase with an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) fused to a short recognition sequence in E. coli, we show robust and high-yield modification of the ELP with myristic acid. The ELP's reversible phase behavior is retained upon myristoylation and can be tuned to span a 30-60 °C. Myristoylated ELPs provide a versatile platform for genetically pre-programming self-assembly into micelles of varied size and shape. Their lipid cores can be loaded with hydrophobic small molecules by passive diffusion. Encapsulated doxorubicin and paclitaxel exhibit cytotoxic effects on 4T1 and PC3-luc cells, respectively, with potencies similar to chemically conjugated counterparts, and longer plasma circulation than free drug upon intravenous injection in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelli M Luginbuhl
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281, USA
- NSF Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Davoud Mozhdehi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281, USA
- NSF Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Michael Dzuricky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281, USA
- NSF Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Parisa Yousefpour
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281, USA
| | - Fred C Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281, USA
| | - Nicholas R Mayne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281, USA
| | - Kristen L Buehne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281, USA
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281, USA
- NSF Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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50
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Luginbuhl KM, Mozhdehi D, Dzuricky M, Yousefpour P, Huang FC, Mayne NR, Buehne KL, Chilkoti A. Recombinant Synthesis of Hybrid Lipid–Peptide Polymer Fusions that Self‐Assemble and Encapsulate Hydrophobic Drugs. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201704625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kelli M. Luginbuhl
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281 USA
- NSF Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA
| | - Davoud Mozhdehi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281 USA
- NSF Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA
| | - Michael Dzuricky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281 USA
- NSF Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA
| | - Parisa Yousefpour
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281 USA
| | - Fred C. Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281 USA
| | - Nicholas R. Mayne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281 USA
| | - Kristen L. Buehne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281 USA
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University 1427 FCIEMAS, Box 90281 USA
- NSF Research Triangle Materials Research Science and Engineering Center Department of Biomedical Engineering Duke University Durham NC 27708 USA
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