Synthesis and Evaluation of Neutral Phosphate Triester Backbone-Modified siRNAs

Synthesis of Dinucleotide Non-Symmetrical Triester Phosphate Phosphoramidites and Their Incorporation Within Oligonucleotides

In this protocol article, the synthesis of dinucleotide non-symmetrical triester phosphate phosphoramidites will be highlighted. Specifically, we use a selective transesterification starting with tris(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) phosphate to afford a dinucleotide derivative phosphate ester. Substitution of the final trifluoroethyl group with various alcohols affords a dinucleotide triester phosphate with a hydrophobic group, which can then be deprotected and converted to a phosphoramidite for incorporation within oligonucleotides. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Synthesis of a DMT- and TBS-protected unsymmetrical dinucleotide Basic Protocol 2: Synthesis of a DMT-protected unsymmetrical dinucleotide phosphotriester monoalcohols Basic Protocol 3: Synthesis of DMT-protected phenylethyl phosphotriester dinucleotide phosphoramidites Basic Protocol 4: Synthesis, purification, and characterization of RNAs containing triester phosphate modifications.

Synthesis of 5’-fluorophosphate-modified short-interfering RNAs

We have developed an improved scheme for the synthesis of a mono-fluorinated phosphoramidite for the 5'-modification of nucleic acids using standard phosphoramidite chemistry. We describe the first report of a phosphofluoridate modified siRNA strand and have evaluated C18 HPLC for purification of modified strands from unreacted siRNA strands. Lastly, the biological activity of the high purity siRNA strands, when placed on the sense and/or antisense strand, was evaluated to assess the impact of 5' phosphofluoridate modifications on siRNA activity.

Inhaled siRNA Formulations for Respiratory Diseases: From Basic Research to Clinical Application

The development of siRNA technology has provided new opportunities for gene-specific inhibition and knockdown, as well as new ideas for the treatment of disease. Four siRNA drugs have already been approved for marketing. However, the instability of siRNA in vivo makes systemic delivery ineffective. Inhaled siRNA formulations can deliver drugs directly to the lung, showing great potential for treating respiratory diseases. The clinical applications of inhaled siRNA formulations still face challenges because effective delivery of siRNA to the lung requires overcoming the pulmonary and cellular barriers. This paper reviews the research progress for siRNA inhalation formulations for the treatment of various respiratory diseases and summarizes the chemical structural modifications and the various delivery systems for siRNA. Finally, we conclude the latest clinical application research for inhaled siRNA formulations and discuss the potential difficulty in efficient clinical application.

SiRNAs with Neutral Phosphate Triester Hydrocarbon Tails Exhibit Carrier-Free Gene-Silencing Activity

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) show promise as gene-silencing therapeutics, but their cellular uptake remains a challenge. We have recently shown the synthesis of siRNAs bearing a single neutral phenylethyl phosphotriester linkage within the sense strand. Here, we report the synthesis of siRNAs bearing three different hydrophobic phosphate triester linkages at key positions within the sense strand and assess their gene silencing in the absence of a transfection carrier. The best siRNAs bearing hydrophobic phosphate triester tails were not aromatic and exhibited effective gene silencing (IC₅₀ ≈ 56-141 nM), whereas the aromatic derivative with three hydrophobic tails did not exhibit carrier-free gene silencing.

Building siRNAs with Cubes: Synthesis and Evaluation of Cubane-Modified siRNAs

Cubane molecules hold great potential for medicinal chemistry applications due to their inherent stability and low toxicity. In this study, we report the synthesis of a cubane derivative phosphoramidite for the incorporation of cubane into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Synthetic siRNAs rely on chemical modifications to improve their pharmacokinetic profiles. However, they are still able to mediate sequence-specific gene silencing via the endogenous RNA interference pathway. We designed a library of siRNAs bearing cubane at different positions within the sense and antisense strands. All siRNAs showed excellent gene-silencing activity, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 45.4 to 305 pM. Incorporating the cubane modification in both the sense and antisense strand led to viable duplexes with good biological activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of siRNAs bearing a cubane derivative within the backbone.

Chemical strategies for strand selection in short-interfering RNAs

Therapeutic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are double stranded RNAs capable of potent and specific gene silencing through activation of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. The potential of siRNA drugs has recently been highlighted by the approval of multiple siRNA therapeutics. These successes relied heavily on chemically modified nucleic acids and their impact on stability, delivery, potency, and off-target effects. Despite remarkable progress, clinical trials still face failure due to off-target effects such as off-target gene dysregulation. Each siRNA strand can downregulate numerous gene targets while also contributing towards saturation of the RNAi machinery, leading to the upregulation of miRNA-repressed genes. Eliminating sense strand uptake effectively reduces off-target gene silencing and helps limit the disruption to endogenous regulatory mechanisms. Therefore, our understanding of strand selection has a direct impact on the success of future siRNA therapeutics. In this review, the approaches used to improve strand uptake are discussed and effective methods are summarized.