Control of cell penetration enhancer shielding and endosomal escape-kinetics crucial for efficient and biocompatible siRNA delivery

Gene editing tool-loaded biomimetic cationic vesicles with highly efficient bacterial internalization for in vivo eradication of pathogens

In the post-COVID-19 era, drug-resistant bacterial infections emerge as one of major death causes, where multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MRAB) and drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (DRPA) represent primary pathogens. However, the classical antibiotic strategy currently faces the bottleneck of drug resistance. We develop an antimicrobial strategy that applies the selective delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids to pathogens with biomimetic cationic hybrid vesicles (BCVs), irrelevant to bacterial drug resistance. CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids were constructed, replicating in MRAB or DRPA and expressing ribonucleic proteins, leading to irreparable chromosomal lesions; however, delivering the negatively charged plasmids with extremely large molecular weight to the pathogens at the infection site became a huge challenge. We found that the BCVs integrating the bacterial out membrane vesicles and cationic lipids efficiently delivered the plasmids in vitro/in vivo to the pathogens followed by effective internalization. The BCVs were used by intratracheal or topical hydrogel application against MRAB pulmonary infection or DRPA wound infection, and both of the two pathogens were eradicated from the lung or the wound. CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid-loaded BCVs become a promising medication for drug-resistant bacteria infections.

Liposomes in the cosmetics: present and outlook

Liposomes are small spherical vesicles composed of phospholipid bilayers capable of encapsulating a variety of ingredients, including water- and oil-soluble compound, which are one of the most commonly used piggybacking and delivery techniques for many active ingredients and different compounds in biology, medicine and cosmetics. With the increasing number of active cosmetic ingredients, the concomitant challenge is to effectively protect, transport, and utilize these substances in a judicious manner. Many cosmetic ingredients are ineffective both topically and systemically when applied to the skin, thus changing the method of delivery and interaction with the skin of the active ingredients is a crucial step toward improving their effectiveness. Liposomes can improve the delivery of active ingredients to the skin, enhance their stability, and ultimately, improve the efficacy of cosmetics and and pharmaceuticals. In this review, we summarized the basic properties of liposomes and their recent advances of functionalities in cosmetics and and pharmaceuticals. Also, the current state of the art in the field is discussed and the prospects for future research areas are highlighted. We hope that this review will provide ideas and inspiration on the application and development of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Uptake pathways of cell-penetrating peptides in the context of drug delivery, gene therapy, and vaccine development

Cell-penetrating peptides have been extensively utilized for the purpose of facilitating the intracellular delivery of cargo that is impermeable to the cell membrane. The researchers have exhibited proficient delivery capabilities for oligonucleotides, thereby establishing cell-penetrating peptides as a potent instrument in the field of gene therapy. Furthermore, they have demonstrated a high level of efficiency in delivering several additional payloads. Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) possess the capability to efficiently transport therapeutic molecules to specific cells, hence offering potential remedies for many illnesses. Hence, their utilization is imperative for the improvement of therapeutic vaccines. In contemporary studies, a plethora of cell-penetrating peptides have been unveiled, each characterized by its own distinct structural attributes and associated mechanisms. Although it is widely acknowledged that there are multiple pathways through which particles might be internalized, a comprehensive understanding of the specific mechanisms by which these particles enter cells has to be fully elucidated. The absorption of cell-penetrating peptides can occur through either direct translocation or endocytosis. However, it is worth noting that categories of cell-penetrating peptides are not commonly linked to specific entrance mechanisms. Furthermore, research has demonstrated that cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) possess the capacity to enhance antigen uptake by cells and facilitate the traversal of various biological barriers. The primary objective of this work is to examine the mechanisms by which cell-penetrating peptides are internalized by cells and their significance in facilitating the administration of drugs, particularly in the context of gene therapy and vaccine development. The current study investigates the immunostimulatory properties of numerous vaccine components administered using different cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). This study encompassed a comprehensive discussion on various topics, including the uptake pathways and mechanisms of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), the utilization of CPPs as innovative vectors for gene therapy, the role of CPPs in vaccine development, and the potential of CPPs for antigen delivery in the context of vaccine development.

Unlocking the power of immunotherapy: Combinatorial delivery of plasmid IL-15 and gemcitabine to synergistically remodeling the tumor microenvironment

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising clinical treatment strategy in recent years. Unfortunately, the satisfactory antitumor therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy is limited by intricate immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITM). To remodel the ITM and alleviate the immune evasion, we constructed FA-PEG-modified liposomes to deliver plasmid IL-15 (pIL-15) and gemcitabine (GEM) (FPCL@pIL-15 + FPGL), respectively. The FPCL@pIL-15 (150 nm) and FPGL (120 nm) exhibited symmetrically spherical structures as well as desirable penetration and accumulation on tumor tissue depending on folic acid (FA) specialized targeting function. The transfected expression of IL-15 efficiently fosters the proliferation and co-activation of Natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+T cells through binding to IL-15R. FPGL upregulated the expression of Natural killer group 2 member D ligands (NKG2DLs) and reinforced recognition by NK cells to alleviate the immune evasion, and simultaneously promoted activation of CD8+T cells through immunogenic cell death (ICD) effects. More importantly, the combinatorial administration achieved intended anti-tumor efficacy in the subcutaneous 4T1 tumor model. In essence, we demonstrated that combining FPCL@pIL-15 with FPGL synergistically stimulates and mobilizes the immune system to reverse the ITM and trigger an anti-tumor immune response, indicating a tremendous potential for application in immunotherapy.