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Pushpa Ragini S, Dyett BP, Sarkar S, Zhai J, White JF, Banerjee R, Drummond CJ, Conn CE. A systematic study of the effect of lipid architecture on cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of cationic cubosomes. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 663:82-93. [PMID: 38394820 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Lipid nanoparticles containing a cationic lipid are increasingly used in drug and gene delivery as they can display improved cellular uptake, enhanced loading for anionic cargo such as siRNA and mRNA or exhibit additional functionality such as cytotoxicity against cancer cells. This research study tests the hypothesis that the molecular structure of the cationic lipid influences the structure of the lipid nanoparticle, the cellular uptake, and the resultant cytotoxicity. EXPERIMENTS Three potentially cytotoxic cationic lipids, with systematic variations to the hydrophobic moiety, were designed and synthesised. All the three cationic lipids synthesised contain pharmacophores such as the bicyclic coumarin group (CCA12), the tricyclic etodolac moiety (ETD12), or the large pentacyclic triterpenoid "ursolic" group (U12) conjugated to a quaternary ammonium cationic lipid containing twin C12 chains. The cationic lipids were doped into monoolein cubosomes at a range of concentrations from 0.1 mol% to 5 mol% and the effect of the lipid molecular architecture on the cubosome phase behaviour was assessed using a combination of Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), zeta-potential and cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM). The resulting cytotoxicity of these particles against a range of cancerous and non-cancerous cell-lines was assessed, along with their cellular uptake. FINDINGS The molecular architecture of the cationic lipid was linked to the internal nanostructure of the resulting cationic cubosomes with a transition to more curved cubic and hexagonal phases generally observed. Cubosomes formed from the cationic lipid CCA12 were found to have improved cellular uptake and significantly higher cytotoxicity than the cationic lipids ETD12 and U12 against the gastric cancer cell-line (AGS) at lipid concentrations ≥ 75 µg/mL. CCA12 cationic cubosomes also displayed reasonable cytotoxicity against the prostate cancer PC-3 cell-line at lipid concentrations ≥ 100 µg/mL. In contrast, 2.5 mol% ETD12 and 2.5 mol% U12 cubosomes were generally non-toxic against both cancerous and non-cancerous cell lines over the entire concentration range tested. The molecular architecture of the cationic lipid was found to influence the cubosome phase behaviour, the cellular uptake and the toxicity although further studies are necessary to determine the exact relationship between structure and cellular uptake across a range of cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Pushpa Ragini
- Department of Oils, lipids science and technology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovation Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India; STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brendan P Dyett
- STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sampa Sarkar
- STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jiali Zhai
- STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jacinta F White
- CSIRO Manufacturing, Bayview Avenue, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Rajkumar Banerjee
- Department of Oils, lipids science and technology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovation Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Calum J Drummond
- STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Charlotte E Conn
- STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia.
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Omo-Lamai S, Wang Y, Patel MN, Essien EO, Shen M, Majumdar A, Espy C, Wu J, Channer B, Tobin M, Murali S, Papp TE, Maheshwari R, Wang L, Chase LS, Zamora ME, Arral ML, Marcos-Contreras OA, Myerson JW, Hunter CA, Tsourkas A, Muzykantov V, Brodsky I, Shin S, Whitehead KA, Gaskill P, Discher D, Parhiz H, Brenner JS. Lipid Nanoparticle-Associated Inflammation is Triggered by Sensing of Endosomal Damage: Engineering Endosomal Escape Without Side Effects. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.16.589801. [PMID: 38659905 PMCID: PMC11042321 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.16.589801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as the dominant platform for RNA delivery, based on their success in the COVID-19 vaccines and late-stage clinical studies in other indications. However, we and others have shown that LNPs induce severe inflammation, and massively aggravate pre-existing inflammation. Here, using structure-function screening of lipids and analyses of signaling pathways, we elucidate the mechanisms of LNP-associated inflammation and demonstrate solutions. We show that LNPs' hallmark feature, endosomal escape, which is necessary for RNA expression, also directly triggers inflammation by causing endosomal membrane damage. Large, irreparable, endosomal holes are recognized by cytosolic proteins called galectins, which bind to sugars on the inner endosomal membrane and then regulate downstream inflammation. We find that inhibition of galectins abrogates LNP-associated inflammation, both in vitro and in vivo . We show that rapidly biodegradable ionizable lipids can preferentially create endosomal holes that are smaller in size and reparable by the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) pathway. Ionizable lipids producing such ESCRT-recruiting endosomal holes can produce high expression from cargo mRNA with minimal inflammation. Finally, we show that both routes to non-inflammatory LNPs, either galectin inhibition or ESCRT-recruiting ionizable lipids, are compatible with therapeutic mRNAs that ameliorate inflammation in disease models. LNPs without galectin inhibition or biodegradable ionizable lipids lead to severe exacerbation of inflammation in these models. In summary, endosomal escape induces endosomal membrane damage that can lead to inflammation. However, the inflammation can be controlled by inhibiting galectins (large hole detectors) or by using biodegradable lipids, which create smaller holes that are reparable by the ESCRT pathway. These strategies should lead to generally safer LNPs that can be used to treat inflammatory diseases.
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Cai X, Refaat A, Gan PY, Fan B, Yu H, Thang SH, Drummond CJ, Voelcker NH, Tran N, Zhai J. Angiopep-2-Functionalized Lipid Cubosomes for Blood-Brain Barrier Crossing and Glioblastoma Treatment. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:12161-12174. [PMID: 38416873 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c14709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain cancer with high malignancy and resistance to conventional treatments, resulting in a bleak prognosis. Nanoparticles offer a way to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and deliver precise therapies to tumor sites with reduced side effects. In this study, we developed angiopep-2 (Ang2)-functionalized lipid cubosomes loaded with cisplatin (CDDP) and temozolomide (TMZ) for crossing the BBB and providing targeted glioblastoma therapy. Developed lipid cubosomes showed a particle size of around 300 nm and possessed an internal ordered inverse primitive cubic phase, a high conjugation efficiency of Ang2 to the particle surface, and an encapsulation efficiency of more than 70% of CDDP and TMZ. In vitro models, including BBB hCMEC/D3 cell tight monolayer, 3D BBB cell spheroid, and microfluidic BBB/GBM-on-a-chip models with cocultured BBB and glioblastoma cells, were employed to study the efficiency of the developed cubosomes to cross the BBB and showed that Ang2-functionalized cubosomes can penetrate the BBB more effectively. Furthermore, Ang2-functionalized cubosomes showed significantly higher uptake by U87 glioblastoma cells, with a 3-fold increase observed in the BBB/GBM-on-a-chip model as compared to that of the bare cubosomes. Additionally, the in vivo biodistribution showed that Ang2 modification could significantly enhance the brain accumulation of cubosomes in comparison to that of non-functionalized particles. Moreover, CDDP-loaded Ang2-functionalized cubosomes presented an enhanced toxic effect on U87 spheroids. These findings suggest that the developed Ang2-cubosomes are prospective for improved BBB crossing and enhanced delivery of therapeutics to glioblastoma and are worth pursuing further as a potential application of nanomedicine for GBM treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xudong Cai
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, VIC, Australia
| | - Ahmed Refaat
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3052, VIC, Australia
| | - Poh-Yi Gan
- Department of Medicine, Centre for Inflammatory Diseases, Monash University, 246 Clayton Rd, Clayton 3168, VIC, Australia
| | - Bo Fan
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Haitao Yu
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, VIC, Australia
| | - San H Thang
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Calum J Drummond
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicolas H Voelcker
- Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3052, VIC, Australia
- Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility, Clayton 3168, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Monash University, Clayton 3168, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nhiem Tran
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, VIC, Australia
| | - Jiali Zhai
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, VIC, Australia
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