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Jiang C, Zhao C, Xu P, Song Q, Tao X, Lin S. Effects of Secondary Structures and pH on the Self-Assembly of Poly(ethylene glycol)- b-polytyrosine. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:5028-5038. [PMID: 38950188 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c00437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
Different from conventional synthetic polymers, polypeptides exhibit a distinguishing characteristic of adopting specific secondary structures, including random coils, α-helixes, and β-sheets. The conformation determines the rigidity and solubility of polypeptide chains, which further direct the self-assembly and morphology of the nanostructures. We studied the effect of distinct secondary structures on the self-assembly behavior of polytyrosine (PTyr)-derived amphiphilic copolymers. Two block copolymers of enantiopure poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(l-tyrosine) (PEG-b-P(l-Tyr)) and racemic poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(dl-tyrosine) (PEG-b-P(dl-Tyr)) were synthesized through the ring-opening polymerization of l-tyrosine N-thiocarboxyanhydride (l-Tyr-NTA) and dl-tyrosine N-thiocarboxyanhydride (dl-Tyr-NTA), respectively, by using poly(ethylene glycol) amine as the initiator. PEG44-b-P(l-Tyr)10 adopts a β-sheet conformation and self-assembles into rectangular nanosheets in aqueous solutions, while PEG44-b-P(dl-Tyr)9 is primarily in a random coil conformation with a tiny content of β-sheet structures, which self-assembles into sheaf-like nanofibrils. A pH increase results in the ionization of phenolic hydroxyl groups, which decreases the β-sheet content and increases the random coil content of the PTyr segments. Accordingly, PEG44-b-P(l-Tyr)10 and PEG44-b-P(dl-Tyr)9 self-assemble to form slender nanobelts and twisted nanoribbons, respectively, in alkaline aqueous solutions. The secondary structure-driven self-assembly of PTyr-derived copolymers is promising to construct filamentous nanostructures, which have potential for applications in controlled drug release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caixia Jiang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Chonghao Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Qipeng Song
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xinfeng Tao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Shaoliang Lin
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
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Zhang Y, Chen J, Shi L, Ma F. Polymeric nanoparticle-based nanovaccines for cancer immunotherapy. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:361-392. [PMID: 36541078 DOI: 10.1039/d2mh01358d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic cancer vaccines, which are designed to amplify tumor-specific T cell responses, have been envisioned as one of the most powerful tools for effective cancer immunotherapy. However, increasing the potency, quality and durability of the vaccine response remains a big challenge. In recent years, materials-based delivery systems focusing on the co-delivery of antigens and adjuvants to enhance cancer vaccination therapy have attracted increasing interest. Among various materials, polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) with different physicochemical properties which can incorporate multiple immunological cues are of great interest. In this review, the recent progress in the design and construction of both ex vivo subunit and in situ cancer vaccines using polymeric NPs is summarized. Especially, we will focus on how these NPs improve the adjuvanticity of vaccines. The design principles of polymeric NPs for ex vivo subunit cancer vaccines and in situ cancer vaccination are also discussed. Finally, we want to briefly discuss molecular chaperones in cancer immunity and the applications of our unique self-assembly mixed shell polymeric micelle-based nanochaperones for cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongxin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Institute of Polymer Chemistry and College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China.
| | - Jiajing Chen
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Institute of Polymer Chemistry and College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China.
| | - Linqi Shi
- Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Institute of Polymer Chemistry and College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China.
- Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, P. R. China
| | - Feihe Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, 300387, P. R. China.
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Liao Z, Huang J, Lo PC, Lovell JF, Jin H, Yang K. Self-adjuvanting cancer nanovaccines. J Nanobiotechnology 2022; 20:345. [PMID: 35883176 PMCID: PMC9316869 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-022-01545-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanovaccines, a new generation of vaccines that use nanoparticles as carriers and/or adjuvants, have been widely used in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, including cancer. Nanovaccines have sparked considerable interest in cancer therapy due to a variety of advantages, including improved access to lymph nodes (LN), optimal packing and presentation of antigens, and induction of a persistent anti-tumor immune response. As a delivery system for cancer vaccines, various types of nanoparticles have been designed to facilitate the delivery of antigens and adjuvants to lymphoid organs and antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Particularly, some types of nanoparticles are able to confer an immune-enhancing capability and can themselves be utilized for adjuvant-like effect for vaccines, suggesting a direction for a better use of nanomaterials and the optimization of cancer vaccines. However, this role of nanoparticles in vaccines has not been well studied. To further elucidate the role of self-adjuvanting nanovaccines in cancer therapy, we review the mechanisms of antitumor vaccine adjuvants with respect to nanovaccines with self-adjuvanting properties, including enhancing cross-presentation, targeting signaling pathways, biomimicking of the natural invasion process of pathogens, and further unknown mechanisms. We surveyed self-adjuvanting cancer nanovaccines in clinical research and discussed their advantages and challenges. In this review, we classified self-adjuvanting cancer nanovaccines according to the underlying immunomodulatory mechanism, which may provide mechanistic insights into the design of nanovaccines in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyun Liao
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Jing Huang
- College of Biomedicine and Health and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Pui-Chi Lo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jonathan F Lovell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Honglin Jin
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China. .,College of Biomedicine and Health and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
| | - Kunyu Yang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
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Zhao J, Xu Y, Ma S, Wang Y, Huang Z, Qu H, Yao H, Zhang Y, Wu G, Huang L, Song W, Tang Z, Chen X. A Minimalist Binary Vaccine Carrier for Personalized Postoperative Cancer Vaccine Therapy. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2109254. [PMID: 34984753 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202109254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, significant evolutions have been made in applying nanotechnologies for prophylactic and therapeutic cancer vaccine design. However, the clinical translation of nanovaccines is still limited owing to their complicated compositions and difficulties in the spatiotemporal coordination of antigen-presenting cell activation and antigen cross-presentation. Herein, a minimalist binary nanovaccine (BiVax) is designed that integrates innate stimulating activity into the carrier to elicit robust antitumor immunity. The authors started by making a series of azole molecules end-capped polyethylenimine (PEI-M), and were surprised to find that over 60% of the PEI-M polymers have innate stimulating activity via activation of the stimulator of interferon genes pathway. PEI-4BImi, a PEI-M obtained from a series of polymers, elicits robust antitumor immune responses when used as a subcutaneously injected nanovaccine by simply mixing with ovalbumin antigens, and this BiVax system performs much better than the traditional ternary vaccine system, as well as, commercialized aluminum-containing adjuvants. This system also enables the fast preparation of personalized BiVax by compositing PEI-4BImi with autologous tumor cell membrane protein antigens, and a 60% postoperative cure rate is observed when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Yudi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Sheng Ma
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
- Jilin Biomedical Polymers Engineering Laboratory, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Yibo Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Zichao Huang
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Haoyuan Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Haochen Yao
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Streey, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
- Jilin Biomedical Polymers Engineering Laboratory, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Guanglu Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Leaf Huang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, 301 Pharmacy Lane, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Wantong Song
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
- Jilin Biomedical Polymers Engineering Laboratory, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Zhaohui Tang
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, 230026, China
- Jilin Biomedical Polymers Engineering Laboratory, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
| | - Xuesi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, 230026, China
- Jilin Biomedical Polymers Engineering Laboratory, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, 130022, China
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