Engineered Nanoparticles inside a Microparticle Oral System for Enhanced Mucosal and Systemic Immunity

FOF1-ATPase Motor-Embedded Chromatophore as Drug Delivery System: Extraction, Cargo Loading Ability and Mucus Penetration Ability

Mucosal drug delivery permits direct and prompt drug absorption, which is capable of reducing undesirable decomposition that occurs before absorption. However, mucus clearance of those mucosal drug delivery systems strongly retards their actual application. Herein, we propose chromatophore nanoparticles embedded with FOF1-ATPase motors to promote mucus penetration. The FOF1-ATPase motor-embedded chromatophores were firstly extracted from Thermus thermophilus by using a gradient centrifugation method. Then, the model drug (curcumin) was loaded onto the chromatophores. The drug loading efficiency and entrapment efficiency were optimized by using different loading approaches. The activity, motility, stability and mucus permeation of the drug-loaded chromatophore nanoparticles were thoroughly investigated. Both the in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that the FOF1-ATPase motor-embedded chromatophore successfully enhanced mucus penetration glioma therapy. This study indicates that the FOF1-ATPase motor-embedded chromatophore is a promising alternative as a mucosal drug delivery system.

Recent advances in selective and targeted drug/gene delivery systems using cell-penetrating peptides

Biological cell membranes are a natural barrier for living cells. In the last few decades, the cell membrane has been the main hurdle in the efficient delivery of bioactive and therapeutic agents. To increase the drug efficacy of these agents, additional mediators have been considered. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), a series of oligopeptides composed of mostly hydrophobic and/or positively charged side chains, can increase the interaction with the cell membrane. CPP-based delivery platforms have shown great potential for the efficient and direct cytosol delivery of various cargos, including genes, proteins, and small molecule drugs. Bypassing endocytosis allows the CPP-based delivery systems greater defense against the degradation of protein-based drugs than other drug delivery systems. However, the delivery of CPPs exhibits intrinsically non-specific targeting, which limits their medical applications. To endow CPPs with specific targeting ability, the conjugation of pH-sensitive, enzyme-specific cleavable, and multiple targeting ligands has been reported. Optimization of the length and sequence of CPPs is still needed for various drugs of different sizes and surface charges. Toxicity issues in CPP-based delivery systems should be addressed carefully before clinical use.