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Luther DC, Nagaraj H, Goswami R, Çiçek YA, Jeon T, Gopalakrishnan S, Rotello VM. Direct Cytosolic Delivery of Proteins Using Lyophilized and Reconstituted Polymer-Protein Assemblies. Pharm Res 2022; 39:1197-1204. [PMID: 35297498 PMCID: PMC10587898 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-022-03226-w] [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: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Cytosolic delivery of proteins accesses intracellular targets for chemotherapy and immunomodulation. Current delivery systems utilize inefficient endosomal pathways of uptake and escape that lead to degradation of delivered cargo. Cationic poly(oxanorbornene)imide (PONI) polymers enable highly efficient cytosolic delivery of co-engineered proteins, but aggregation and denaturation in solution limits shelf life. In the present study we evaluate polymer-protein nanocomposite vehicles as candidates for lyophilization and point-of-care resuspension to provide a transferrable technology for cytosolic protein delivery. METHODS Self-assembled nanocomposites of engineered poly(glutamate)-tagged (E-tagged) proteins and guanidinium-functionalized PONI homopolymers were generated, lyophilized, and stored for 2 weeks. After reconstitution and delivery, cytosolic access of E-tagged GFP cargo (GFPE15) was assessed through diffuse cytosolic and nuclear fluorescence, and cell killing with chemotherapeutic enzyme Granzyme A (GrAE10). Efficiency was quantified between freshly prepared and lyophilized samples. RESULTS Reconstituted nanocomposites retained key structural features of freshly prepared assemblies, with minimal loss of material. Cytosolic delivery (> 80% efficiency of freshly prepared nanocomposites) of GFPE15 was validated in several cell lines, with intracellular access validated and quantified through diffusion into the nucleus. Delivery of GrAE10 elicited significant tumorigenic cell death. Intracellular access of cytotoxic protein was validated through cell viability. CONCLUSION Reconstituted nanocomposites achieved efficient cytosolic delivery of protein cargo and demonstrated therapeutic applicability with delivery of GrAE10. Overall, this strategy represents a versatile and highly translatable method for cytosolic delivery of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Luther
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 379A LGRT Tower A, 710 North Pleasant St., Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, USA
| | - Harini Nagaraj
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 379A LGRT Tower A, 710 North Pleasant St., Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, USA
| | - Ritabrita Goswami
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 379A LGRT Tower A, 710 North Pleasant St., Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, USA
| | - Yağız Anıl Çiçek
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 379A LGRT Tower A, 710 North Pleasant St., Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, USA
| | - Taewon Jeon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 379A LGRT Tower A, 710 North Pleasant St., Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, 710 North Pleasant St., Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, USA
| | - Sanjana Gopalakrishnan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 379A LGRT Tower A, 710 North Pleasant St., Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, USA
| | - Vincent M Rotello
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 379A LGRT Tower A, 710 North Pleasant St., Massachusetts, 01003, Amherst, USA.
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Kurt E, Segura T. Nucleic Acid Delivery from Granular Hydrogels. Adv Healthc Mater 2022; 11:e2101867. [PMID: 34742164 PMCID: PMC8810690 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202101867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acid delivery has applications ranging from tissue engineering to vaccine development to infectious disease. Cationic polymer condensed nucleic acids are used with surface-coated porous scaffolds and are able to promote long-term gene expression. However, due to surface loading of the scaffold, there is a limit to the amount of nucleic acid that can be loaded, resulting in decreasing expression rate over time. In addition, surface-coated scaffolds are generally non-injectable. Here, it is demonstrated that cationic polymer condensed nucleic acids can be effectively loaded into injectable granular hydrogel scaffolds by stabilizing the condensed nucleic acid into a lyophilized powder, loading the powder into a bulk hydrogel, and then fragmenting the loaded hydrogel. The resulting hydrogel microparticles contain non-aggregated nucleic acid particles, can be annealed post-injection to result in an injectable microporous hydrogel, and can effectively deliver nucleic acids to embedded cells with a constant expression rate. Due to the nature of granular hydrogels, it is demonstrated that mixtures of loaded and unloaded particles and spatially resolved gene expression can be easily achieved. The ability to express genes long term from an injectable porous hydrogel will further open the applications of nucleic acid delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Kurt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC
| | - Tatiana Segura
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Departments Neurology and Dermatology, Duke University, Durham, NC
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Tierney JW, Evans BC, Cheung-Flynn J, Wang B, Colazo JM, Polcz ME, Cook RS, Brophy CM, Duvall CL. Therapeutic MK2 inhibition blocks pathological vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype switch. JCI Insight 2021; 6:142339. [PMID: 34622803 PMCID: PMC8525639 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.142339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular procedures, such as stenting, angioplasty, and bypass grafting, often fail due to intimal hyperplasia (IH), wherein contractile vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) dedifferentiate to synthetic VSMCs, which are highly proliferative, migratory, and fibrotic. Previous studies suggest MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2) inhibition may limit VSMC proliferation and IH, although the molecular mechanism underlying the observation remains unclear. We demonstrated here that MK2 inhibition blocked the molecular program of contractile to synthetic dedifferentiation and mitigated IH development. Molecular markers of the VSMC contractile phenotype were sustained over time in culture in rat primary VSMCs treated with potent, long-lasting MK2 inhibitory peptide nanopolyplexes (MK2i-NPs), a result supported in human saphenous vein specimens cultured ex vivo. RNA-Seq of MK2i-NP-treated primary human VSMCs revealed programmatic switching toward a contractile VSMC gene expression profile, increasing expression of antiinflammatory and contractile-associated genes while lowering expression of proinflammatory, promigratory, and synthetic phenotype-associated genes. Finally, these results were confirmed using an in vivo rabbit vein graft model where brief, intraoperative treatment with MK2i-NPs decreased IH and synthetic phenotype markers while preserving contractile proteins. These results support further development of MK2i-NPs as a therapy for blocking VSMC phenotype switch and IH associated with cardiovascular procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- J William Tierney
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Brian C Evans
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Joyce Cheung-Flynn
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Juan M Colazo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Monica E Polcz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of General Surgery and
| | - Rebecca S Cook
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Colleen M Brophy
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Craig L Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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4
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Wang S. pH-Responsive Amphiphilic Carboxylate Polymers: Design and Potential for Endosomal Escape. Front Chem 2021; 9:645297. [PMID: 33834015 PMCID: PMC8021698 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.645297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The intracellular delivery of emerging biomacromolecular therapeutics, such as genes, peptides, and proteins, remains a great challenge. Unlike small hydrophobic drugs, these biotherapeutics are impermeable to the cell membrane, thus relying on the endocytic pathways for cell entry. After endocytosis, they are entrapped in the endosomes and finally degraded in lysosomes. To overcome these barriers, many carriers have been developed to facilitate the endosomal escape of these biomacromolecules. This mini-review focuses on the development of anionic pH-responsive amphiphilic carboxylate polymers for endosomal escape applications, including the design and synthesis of these polymers, the mechanistic insights of their endosomal escape capability, the challenges in the field, and future opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqi Wang
- Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Dailing EA, Kilchrist KV, Tierney JW, Fletcher RB, Evans BC, Duvall CL. Modifying Cell Membranes with Anionic Polymer Amphiphiles Potentiates Intracellular Delivery of Cationic Peptides. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:50222-50235. [PMID: 33124813 PMCID: PMC9082340 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Rapid, facile, and noncovalent cell membrane modification with alkyl-grafted anionic polymers was sought as an approach to enhance intracellular delivery and bioactivity of cationic peptides. We synthesized a library of acrylic acid-based copolymers containing varying amounts of an amine-reactive pentafluorophenyl acrylate monomer followed by postpolymerization modification with a series of alkyl amines to afford precise control over the length and density of aliphatic alkyl side chains. This synthetic strategy enabled systematic investigation of the effect of the polymer structure on membrane binding, potentiation of peptide cell uptake, pH-dependent disruption of lipid bilayers for endosome escape, and intracellular bioavailability. A subset of these polymers exhibited pKa of ∼6.8, which facilitated stable membrane association at physiological pH and rapid, pH-dependent endosomal disruption upon endocytosis as quantified in Galectin-8-YFP reporter cells. Cationic cell penetrating peptide (CPP) uptake was enhanced up to 15-fold in vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro when peptide treatment was preceded by a 30-min pretreatment with lead candidate polymers. We also designed and implemented a new and highly sensitive assay for measuring the intracellular bioavailability of CPPs based on the NanoLuciferase (NanoLuc) technology previously developed for measuring intracellular protein-protein interactions. Using this split luciferase class of assay, polymer pretreatment enhanced intracellular delivery of the CPP-modified HiBiT peptide up to 30-fold relative to CPP-HiBiT without polymer pretreatment (p < 0.05). The overall structural analyses show that polymers containing 50:50 or 70:30 molar ratios of carboxyl groups to alkyl side chains of 6-8 carbons maximized peptide uptake, pH-dependent membrane disruption, and intracellular bioavailability and that this potentiation effect was maximized by pairing with CPPs with high cationic charge density. These results demonstrate a rapid, mild method for polymer modification of cell surfaces to potentiate intracellular delivery, endosome escape, and bioactivity of cationic peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A Dailing
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, PMB 351634, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Kameron V Kilchrist
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, PMB 351634, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - J William Tierney
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, PMB 351634, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - R Brock Fletcher
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, PMB 351634, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Brian C Evans
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, PMB 351634, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Craig L Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, PMB 351634, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
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Kilchrist KV, Tierney JW, Duvall CL. Genetically Encoded Split-Luciferase Biosensors to Measure Endosome Disruption Rapidly in Live Cells. ACS Sens 2020; 5:1929-1936. [PMID: 32573202 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.0c00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Endosomal escape is a critical step in the intracellular delivery of biomacromolecular drugs, but a quantitative, high-throughput study of endosomal-vesicle disruption remains elusive. We designed two genetically encoded split-luciferase turn-on reporter assays that can be measured rapidly in well plates on live cells using a luminometer. Both systems use nonluminescent N-terminal and C-terminal luciferase fragments that can reconstitute a functional luminescent enzyme when they are colocalized by their fusion partners. The first system uses luciferase-fragment fusion to Galectin 8 (Gal8) and CALCOCO2. Gal8 and CALCOCO2 interact following endosomal-vesicle disruption to facilitate luciferase complementation into the active enzyme, enabling a luminescence readout (G8C2 system). The second system expresses the N-terminal carbohydrate recognition domain (N-CRD) of Gal8 fused to each luciferase fragment (G8G8 system). Following endosome disruption, G8-NCRD binds to exposed glycans inside endosomes, concentrating both fragments in close proximity and reconstituting active luciferase. The G8G8 system emerged as the lead reporter candidate and was further characterized by comparing it to previously reported Gal8-YFP tracking using microscopy. We also characterized the G8G8 system response to several commercial and research drug-delivery reagents: DOTAP lipid, JetPEI, Lipofectamine 2000, and a library of polymers with known endosomal-escape activity, revealing dose-dependent increases in luminescence due to endosomal disruption. These new reporters provide a first-in-class luminescent assay to rapidly detect endosome disruption in a high-throughput format while excluding toxic formulations. Endosome-disruption screening with these turn-on assays has the potential to accelerate and to improve the rigor of programs focused on the discovery and development of intracellular biologic drug-delivery formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kameron V. Kilchrist
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - John William Tierney
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
| | - Craig L. Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States
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7
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Laird NZ, Malkawi WI, Chakka JL, Acri TM, Elangovan S, Salem AK. A proof of concept gene-activated titanium surface for oral implantology applications. J Tissue Eng Regen Med 2020; 14:622-632. [PMID: 32078257 DOI: 10.1002/term.3026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Dental implants are very successful medical devices, yet implant failures do occur due to biological and mechanical complications. Peri-implantitis is one such biological complication that is primarily caused by bacteria and their products at the implant soft tissue interface. Bacterial infiltration can be prevented by the formation of a reliable soft tissue seal encircling dental implants. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) has significant chemotactic and proliferative effects on various mesenchymal cell types, including fibroblasts, and therefore can be an effective molecule to enhance the peri-implant soft tissue seal. To overcome the limitations of the recombinant protein form of PDGF-BB, such as cost and the need for supraphysiological doses, we have developed and characterized a titanium surface that is rendered bioactive by coating it with polyethylenimine-plasmid DNA (pDNA) nanoplexes in the presence of sucrose. Human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cells and human primary gingival fibroblasts (GFs) were successfully transfected in culture with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-encoding pDNA or platelet-derived growth factor subunit B (PDGFB)-encoding pDNA loaded into nanoplexes and coated onto titanium disks in a dose-dependent manner. GFs were shown to secrete PDGF-BB for at least 7 days after transfection and displayed both minimal viability loss and increased integrin-α2 expression 4 days posttransfection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah Z Laird
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Walla I Malkawi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Jaidev L Chakka
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Timothy M Acri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Satheesh Elangovan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.,Department of Periodontics, College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Aliasger K Salem
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.,Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
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NanoDDS 2017: The 15th International Nanomedicine & Drug Delivery Symposium. J Control Release 2018; 282:1-2. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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