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Chiarpotti MV, Galassi VV, Longo GS, Del Pópolo MG. Enhanced Adsorption Response of pH-Sensitive Peptides: The Role of Membrane Acidity. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:4396-4403. [PMID: 38669439 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c01785] [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: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
pH-sensitive peptides bind and traverse lipid membranes in response to changes in pH. They can be used to target tumors and other acidic tissues. We investigate the influence of acidic lipids on the pH-driven adsorption of recently synthesized peptides. Using a statistical-thermodynamic theory that takes into account the acid-base chemistry of peptides and lipids, we find that the presence of acidic lipids amplifies changes in peptide surface concentration when transitioning from high to low pH. We study cyclic and linear peptides, containing tryptophan, glutamic acid, and arginine residues, examining their behavior in both neutral and acidic membranes. Membrane binding consistently results from the shallow insertion of tryptophan residues with hydrophilic residues facing the aqueous solution. Regardless of the pH, the peptide's geometry predominantly determines the orientation and distribution of residues. Notably, we find that not only the extent of adsorption is pH-sensitive but also the underlying adsorption mechanism: it is barrier-free at low pH but hindered by a large free energy barrier at high pH. Hence, under more acidic conditions, pH-sensitive peptides show facilitated adsorption both kinetically and thermodynamically.
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Affiliation(s)
- María V Chiarpotti
- Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas (ICB)─CONICET/UNCUYO. Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, CP 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, CP 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
- AI Proteins, 20 Overland Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Vanesa V Galassi
- Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas (ICB)─CONICET/UNCUYO. Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, CP 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, CP 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Gabriel S Longo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), UNLP-CONICET, Diagonal 113 & 64 S/N, CP B1904DPI La Plata, Argentina
| | - Mario G Del Pópolo
- Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas (ICB)─CONICET/UNCUYO. Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, CP 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, CP 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
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2
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Tran P, Crawford T, Ragnarsson L, Deuis JR, Mobli M, Sharpe SJ, Schroeder CI, Vetter I. Structural Conformation and Activity of Spider-Derived Inhibitory Cystine Knot Peptide Pn3a Are Modulated by pH. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:26276-26286. [PMID: 37521635 PMCID: PMC10373202 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Numerous spider venom-derived gating modifier toxins exhibit conformational heterogeneity during purification by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). This conformational exchange is especially peculiar for peptides containing an inhibitor cystine knot motif, which confers excellent structural stability under conditions that are not conducive to disulfide shuffling. This phenomenon is often attributed to proline cis/trans isomerization but has also been observed in peptides that do not contain a proline residue. Pn3a is one such peptide forming two chromatographically distinguishable peaks that readily interconvert following the purification of either conformer. The nature of this exchange was previously uncharacterized due to the fast rate of conversion in solution, making isolation of the conformers impossible. In the present study, an N-terminal modification of Pn3a enabled the isolation of the individual conformers, allowing activity assays to be conducted on the individual conformers using electrophysiology. The conformers were analyzed separately by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to study their structural differences. RP-HPLC and NMR were used to study the mechanism of exchange. The later-eluting conformer was the active conformer with a rigid structure that corresponds to the published structure of Pn3a, while NMR analysis revealed the earlier-eluting conformer to be inactive and disordered. The exchange was found to be pH-dependent, arising in acidic solutions, possibly due to reversible disruption and formation of intramolecular salt bridges. This study reveals the nature of non-proline conformational exchange observed in Pn3a and possibly other disulfide-rich peptides, highlighting that the structure and activity of some disulfide-stabilized peptides can be dramatically susceptible to disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poanna Tran
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Theo Crawford
- Centre
for Advanced Imaging, The University of
Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Lotten Ragnarsson
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jennifer R. Deuis
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Mehdi Mobli
- Centre
for Advanced Imaging, The University of
Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Simon J. Sharpe
- Molecular
Medicine Program, Research Institute, The
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Christina I. Schroeder
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Center
for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702-1201, United States
- Genentech, 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Irina Vetter
- Institute
for Molecular Bioscience, The University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
- School
of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia
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Matsuda M, Ikeda K, Kameda T, Nakao H, Nakano M. Fine-Tuning and Enhancement of pH-Dependent Membrane Permeation of Cyclic Peptides by Utilizing Noncanonical Amino Acids with Extended Side Chains. J Med Chem 2023; 66:7054-7062. [PMID: 37186548 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The development of cyclic peptides that exhibit pH-sensitive membrane permeation is a promising strategy for tissue-selective drug delivery. We investigated the pH-dependent interactions of designed cyclic peptides bearing noncanonical amino acids of long acidic side chains with lipid membranes, including surface binding, insertion, and translocation across the membrane. As the length of the side chain of acidic amino acid increased, the binding affinity of the peptides to phosphatidylcholine bilayer surfaces decreased, while the pH for the 50% insertion of the peptides into the bilayers increased. The pH for membrane permeation of the peptides increased with the side chain length, resulting in specific membrane permeation at pH ∼6.5. The longer side chain of acidic amino acids improved the maximum rate of membrane permeation at low pH, where both entropic and enthalpic contributions affected the permeation. Our peptide also showed intracellular delivery of cargo molecules into living cells in a pH-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motomi Matsuda
- Department of Biointerface Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ikeda
- Department of Biointerface Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Tomoshi Kameda
- Artificial Intelligence Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2-4-7 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Nakao
- Department of Biointerface Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Minoru Nakano
- Department of Biointerface Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
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4
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Zhang Q, Liu N, Wang J, Liu Y, Wang K, Zhang J, Pan X. The Recent Advance of Cell-Penetrating and Tumor-Targeting Peptides as Drug Delivery Systems Based on Tumor Microenvironment. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:789-809. [PMID: 36598861 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Cancer has become the primary reason for industrial countries death. Although first-line treatments have achieved remarkable results in inhibiting tumors, they could have serious side effects because of insufficient selectivity. Therefore, specific localization of tumor cells is currently the main desire for cancer treatment. In recent years, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), as a kind of promising delivery vehicle, have attracted much attention because they mediate the high-efficiency import of large quantities of cargos in vivo and vitro. Unfortunately, the poor targeting of CPPs is still a barrier to their clinical application. In order to solve this problem, researchers use the various characteristics of tumor microenvironment and multiple receptors to improve the specificity toward tumors. This review focuses on the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment, and introduces the development of strategies and peptides based on these characteristics as drug delivery system in the tumor-targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Nanxin Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Jin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Yuying Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Kai Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Xiaoyan Pan
- School of Pharmacy, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
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5
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Moshnikova A, Golijanin B, Amin A, Doyle J, Kott O, Gershman B, DuPont M, Li Y, Lu X, Engelman DM, Andreev OA, Reshetnyak YK, Golijanin D. Targeting Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma with pHLIP-ICG and Inhibition of Urothelial Cancer Cell Proliferation by pHLIP-amanitin. FRONTIERS IN UROLOGY 2022; 2:868919. [PMID: 36439552 PMCID: PMC9691284 DOI: 10.3389/fruro.2022.868919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Acidity is a useful biomarker for the targeting of metabolically active-cells in tumors. pH Low Insertion Peptides (pHLIPs) sense the pH at the surfaces of tumor cells and can facilitate intracellular delivery of cell-permeable and cell-impermeable cargo molecules. In this study we have shown the targeting of malignant lesions in human bladders by fluorescent pHLIP agents, intracellular delivery of amanitin toxin by pHLIP for the inhibition of urothelial cancer cell proliferation, and enhanced potency of pHLIP-amanitin for cancer cells with 17p loss, a mutation frequently present in urothelial cancers. Twenty-eight ex-vivo bladder specimens, from patients undergoing robotic assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy for bladder cancer, were treated via intravesical incubation for 15-60 minutes with pHLIP conjugated to indocyanine green (ICG) or IR-800 near infrared fluorescent (NIRF) dyes at concentrations of 4-8 μM. White light cystoscopy identified 47/58 (81%) and NIRF pHLIP cystoscopy identified 57/58 (98.3%) of malignant lesions of different subtypes and stages selected for histopathological processing. pHLIP NIRF imaging improved diagnosis by 17.3% (p < 0.05). All carcinoma-in-situ cases missed by white light cystoscopy were targeted by pHLIP agents and were diagnosed by NIRF imaging. We also investigated the interactions of pHLIP-amanitin with urothelial cancer cells of different grades. pHLIP-amanitin produced concentration- and pH-dependent inhibition of the proliferation of urothelial cancer cells treated for 2 hrs at concentrations up to 4 μM. A 3-4x enhanced cytotoxicity of pHLIP-amanitin was observed for cells with a 17p loss after 2 hrs of treatment at pH6. Potentially, pHLIP technology may improve the management of urothelial cancers, including imaging of malignant lesions using pHLIP-ICG for diagnosis and surgery, and the use of pHLIP-amanitin for treatment of superficial bladder cancers via intravesical instillation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Moshnikova
- Physics Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Borivoj Golijanin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Brown University, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Ali Amin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Joshua Doyle
- Physics Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
- Current address: Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ohad Kott
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Brown University, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Boris Gershman
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Brown University, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
- Current address: Division of Urologic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael DuPont
- Physics Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - Yujing Li
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Xiongbin Lu
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Melvin & Bren Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Donald M. Engelman
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Oleg A. Andreev
- Physics Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | | | - Dragan Golijanin
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Brown University, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
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6
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Li Z, Zhu Y, Matson JB. pH-Responsive Self-Assembling Peptide-Based Biomaterials: Designs and Applications. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2022; 5:10.1021/acsabm.2c00188. [PMID: 35505454 PMCID: PMC9630172 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive peptide-based biomaterials are increasingly gaining interest for various specific and targeted treatments, including drug delivery and tissue engineering. Among all stimuli, pH can be especially useful because endogenous pH changes are often associated with abnormal microenvironments. pH-Responsive amino acids and organic linkers can be easily incorporated into peptides that self-assemble into various nanostructures. Thus, these largely biocompatible and easily tunable platforms are ideal candidates for drug release and as fibrous materials capable of mimicking the native extracellular matrix. In this review, we highlight common design motifs and mechanisms of pH-responsiveness in self-assembling peptide-based biomaterials, focusing on recent advances of these biomaterials applied in drug delivery and tissue engineering. Finally, we suggest future challenges and areas for potential development in pH-responsive self-assembling peptide-based biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Li
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Yumeng Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - John B Matson
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery, and Macromolecules Innovation Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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7
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Pryyma A, Matinkhoo K, Bu YJ, Merkens H, Zhang Z, Bénard F, Perrin DM. Synthesis and preliminary evaluation of octreotate conjugates of bioactive synthetic amatoxins for targeting somatostatin receptor (sstr2) expressing cells. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:69-78. [PMID: 35128410 PMCID: PMC8729174 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00036e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted cancer therapy represents a paradigm-shifting approach that aims to deliver a toxic payload selectively to target-expressing cells thereby sparing normal tissues the off-target effects associated with traditional chemotherapeutics. Since most targeted constructs rely on standard microtubule inhibitors or DNA-reactive molecules as payloads, new toxins that inhibit other intracellular targets are needed to realize the full potential of targeted therapy. Among these new payloads, α-amanitin has gained attraction as a payload in targeted therapy. Here, we conjugate two synthetic amanitins at different sites to demonstrate their utility as payloads in peptide drug conjugates (PDCs). As an exemplary targeting agent, we chose octreotate, a well-studied somatostatin receptor (sstr2) peptide agonist for the conjugation to synthetic amatoxins via three tailor-built linkers. The linker chemistry permitted the evaluation of one non-cleavable and two cleavable self-immolative conjugates. The immolating linkers were chosen to take advantage of either the reducing potential of the intracellular environment or the high levels of lysosomal proteases in tumor cells to trigger toxin release. Cell-based assays on target-positive Ar42J cells revealed target-specific reduction in viability with up to 1000-fold enhancement in bioactivity compared to the untargeted amatoxins. Altogether, this preliminary study enabled the development of a highly modular synthetic platform for the construction of amanitin-based conjugates that can be readily extended to various targeting moieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alla Pryyma
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia 2036 Main Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1 Canada
| | - Kaveh Matinkhoo
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia 2036 Main Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1 Canada
| | - Yong Jia Bu
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia 2036 Main Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1 Canada
| | - Helen Merkens
- Department of Molecular Oncology, BC Cancer Vancouver BC V5Z 1L3 Canada
| | - Zhengxing Zhang
- Department of Molecular Oncology, BC Cancer Vancouver BC V5Z 1L3 Canada
| | - Francois Bénard
- Department of Molecular Oncology, BC Cancer Vancouver BC V5Z 1L3 Canada
| | - David M Perrin
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia 2036 Main Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1 Canada
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8
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Askari Rizvi SF, Zhang H. Emerging trends of receptor-mediated tumor targeting peptides: A review with perspective from molecular imaging modalities. Eur J Med Chem 2021; 221:113538. [PMID: 34022717 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.113538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Natural peptides extracted from natural components such are known to have a relatively short in-vivo half-life and can readily metabolize by endo- and exo-peptidases. Fortunately, synthetic peptides can be easily manipulated to increase in-vivo stability, membrane permeability and target specificity with some well-known natural families. Many natural as well as synthetic peptides target to their endogenous receptors for diagnosis and therapeutic applications. In order to detect these peptides externally, they must be modified with radionuclides compatible with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET). Although, these techniques mainly rely on physiological changes and have profound diagnostic strength over anatomical modalities such as MRI and CT. However, both SPECT and PET observed to possess lack of anatomical reference frame which is a key weakness of these techniques, and unfortunately, cannot be available freely in most clinical centres especially in under-developing countries. Hence, it is need of the time to design and develop economic, patient friendly and versatile strategies to grapple with existing problems without any hazardous side effects. Optical molecular imaging (OMI) has emerged as a novel technique in field of medical science using fluorescent probes as imaging modality and has ability to couple with organic drugs, small molecules, chemotherapeutics, DNA, RNA, anticancer peptide and protein without adding chelators as necessary for radionuclides. Furthermore, this review focuses on difference in imaging modalities and provides ample knowledge about reliable, economic and patient friendly optical imaging technique rather radionuclide-based imaging techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Faheem Askari Rizvi
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, 730000, Gansu, PR China
| | - Haixia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, 730000, Gansu, PR China.
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9
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Muhammad K, Zhao J, Gao B, Feng Y. Polymeric nano-carriers for on-demand delivery of genes via specific responses to stimuli. J Mater Chem B 2021; 8:9621-9641. [PMID: 32955058 DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01675f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Polymeric nano-carriers have been developed as a most capable and feasible technology platform for gene therapy. As vehicles, polymeric nano-carriers are obliged to possess high gene loading capability, low immunogenicity, safety, and the ability to transfer various genetic materials into specific sites of target cells to express therapeutic proteins or block a process of gene expression. To this end, various types of polymeric nano-carriers have been prepared to release genes in response to stimuli such as pH, redox, enzymes, light and temperature. These stimulus-responsive nano-carriers exhibit high gene transfection efficiency and low cytotoxicity. In particular, dual- and multi-stimulus-responsive polymeric nano-carriers can respond to a combination of signals. Markedly, these combined responses take place either simultaneously or in a sequential manner. These dual-stimulus-responsive polymeric nano-carriers can control gene delivery with high gene transfection both in vitro and in vivo. In this review paper, we highlight the recent exciting developments in stimulus-responsive polymeric nano-carriers for gene delivery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khan Muhammad
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China.
| | - Jing Zhao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China.
| | - Bin Gao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China.
| | - Yakai Feng
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin 300350, P. R. China. and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China and Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Chemical Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin 300350, P. R. China
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10
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Park H, Saravanakumar G, Kim J, Lim J, Kim WJ. Tumor Microenvironment Sensitive Nanocarriers for Bioimaging and Therapeutics. Adv Healthc Mater 2021; 10:e2000834. [PMID: 33073497 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202000834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME), which is composed of cancer cells, stromal cells, immune cells, and extracellular matrices, plays an important role in tumor growth and progression. Thus, targeting the TME using a well-designed nano-drug delivery system is emerging as a promising strategy for the treatment of solid tumors. Compared to normal tissues, the TME presents several distinguishable physiological features such as mildly acidic pH, hypoxia, high level of reactive oxygen species, and overexpression of specific enzymes, that are exploited as stimuli to induce specific changes in the nanocarrier structures, and thereby facilitates target-specific delivery of imaging or chemotherapeutic agents for the early diagnosis or effective treatment, respectively. Recently, smart nanocarriers that respond to more than one stimulus in the TME have also been designed to elicit a more desirable spatiotemporally controlled drug release. This review highlights the recent progress in TME-sensitive nanocarriers designed for more efficient tumor therapy and imaging. In particular, the design strategies, challenges, and critical considerations involved in the fabrication of TME-sensitive nanocarriers, along with their in vitro and in vivo evaluations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeongmok Park
- Department of Chemistry POSTECH‐CATHOLIC Biomedical Engineering Institute Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) Pohang 37673 Republic of Korea
| | - Gurusamy Saravanakumar
- Department of Chemistry POSTECH‐CATHOLIC Biomedical Engineering Institute Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) Pohang 37673 Republic of Korea
| | - Jinseong Kim
- Department of Chemistry POSTECH‐CATHOLIC Biomedical Engineering Institute Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) Pohang 37673 Republic of Korea
| | - Junha Lim
- Department of Chemistry POSTECH‐CATHOLIC Biomedical Engineering Institute Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) Pohang 37673 Republic of Korea
| | - Won Jong Kim
- OmniaMed Co., Ltd Pohang 37673 Republic of Korea
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11
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Rizvi SFA, Mu S, Wang Y, Li S, Zhang H. Fluorescent RGD-based pro-apoptotic peptide conjugates as mitochondria-targeting probes for enhanced anticancer activities. Biomed Pharmacother 2020; 127:110179. [PMID: 32387862 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We have designed 2-domain anticancer peptides with RGD-based KLAK bi-functional short motifs (linear and cyclic analogues). RGD tripeptide acts as tumor blood vessel 'homing' motif while KLAK tetrapeptide internalized in mitochondria and causes cell apoptosis. All three peptides (RGDKLAK; HM, cyclic-RGDKLAK; HMC-1, and RGD-cyclic-KLAK; HMC-2) were conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer-I (5-FITC; F) for in-vivo and in-vitro optical imaging studies. These fluorescent-peptide (FL-peptide) analogues were analyzed to possess αvβ3-integrin targeting affinity, high uptake in in-vitro cell binding assays followed by in-vivo tumor xenograft mice studies. Pharmacological profile reveals that F-HMC-1 analogue exhibited selectively and specifically higher affinity for αvβ3-integrin than other analogues in U87MG cells in comparison with HeLa cells. The subcutaneous U87MG tumor xenograft mice models clearly visualized the uptake of F-HMC-1 in tumor tissue in contrast with normal tissues with tumor-to-normal tissue ratio (T/NT = 15.9 ± 1.1) at 2 h post-injection. These results suggested that F-HMC-1 peptide has potential diagnostic applications for targeting αvβ3-integrin assessed by optical imaging study in U87MG tumor xenograft mice models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Faheem Askari Rizvi
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Shuai Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yaya Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Shuangqin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Haixia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China.
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12
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Henry KE, Chaney AM, Nagle VL, Cropper HC, Mozaffari S, Slaybaugh G, Parang K, Andreev OA, Reshetnyak YK, James ML, Lewis JS. Demarcation of Sepsis-Induced Peripheral and Central Acidosis with pH (Low) Insertion Cycle Peptide. J Nucl Med 2020; 61:1361-1368. [PMID: 32005774 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.119.233072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Acidosis is a key driver for many diseases, including cancer, sepsis, and stroke. The spatiotemporal dynamics of dysregulated pH across disease remain elusive, and current diagnostic strategies do not provide localization of pH alterations. We sought to explore if PET imaging using hydrophobic cyclic peptides that partition into the cellular membrane at low extracellular pH (denoted as pH [low] insertion cycles, or pHLIC) can permit accurate in vivo visualization of acidosis. Methods: Acid-sensitive cyclic peptide c[E4W5C] pHLIC was conjugated to bifunctional maleimide-NO2A and radiolabeled with 64Cu (half-life, 12.7 h). C57BL/6J mice were administered lipopolysaccharide (15 mg/kg) or saline (vehicle) and serially imaged with [64Cu]Cu-c[E4W5C] over 24 h. Ex vivo autoradiography was performed on resected brain slices and subsequently stained with cresyl violet to enable high-resolution spatial analysis of tracer accumulation. A non-pH-sensitive cell-penetrating control peptide (c[R4W5C]) was used to confirm specificity of [64Cu]Cu-c[E4W5C]. CD11b (macrophage/microglia) and TMEM119 (microglia) immunostaining was performed to correlate extent of neuroinflammation with [64Cu]Cu-c[E4W5C] PET signal. Results: [64Cu]Cu-c[E4W5C] radiochemical yield and purity were more than 95% and more than 99%, respectively, with molar activity of more than 0.925 MBq/nmol. Significantly increased [64Cu]Cu-c[E4W5C] uptake was observed in lipopolysaccharide-treated mice (vs. vehicle) within peripheral tissues, including blood, lungs, liver, and small intestines (P < 0.001-0.05). Additionally, there was significantly increased [64Cu]Cu-c[E4W5C] uptake in the brains of lipopolysaccharide-treated animals. Autoradiography confirmed increased uptake in the cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and hypothalamus of lipopolysaccharide-treated mice (vs. vehicle). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed microglial or macrophage infiltration, suggesting activation in brain regions containing increased tracer uptake. [64Cu]Cu-c[R4W5C] demonstrated significantly reduced uptake in the brain and periphery of lipopolysaccharide mice compared with the acid-mediated [64Cu]Cu-c[E4W5C] tracer. Conclusion: Here, we demonstrate that a pH-sensitive PET tracer specifically detects acidosis in regions associated with sepsis-driven proinflammatory responses. This study suggests that [64Cu]Cu-pHLIC is a valuable tool to noninvasively assess acidosis associated with both central and peripheral innate immune activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E Henry
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Aisling M Chaney
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Veronica L Nagle
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.,Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.,Departments of Pharmacology and Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
| | - Haley C Cropper
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Saghar Mozaffari
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, California
| | - Gregory Slaybaugh
- Department of Physics, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
| | - Keykavous Parang
- Center for Targeted Drug Delivery, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University School of Pharmacy, Irvine, California
| | - Oleg A Andreev
- Department of Physics, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
| | - Yana K Reshetnyak
- Department of Physics, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
| | - Michelle L James
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.,Department of Neurology and Neurological Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California; and
| | - Jason S Lewis
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York .,Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.,Departments of Pharmacology and Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York.,Radiochemistry and Molecular Imaging Probes Core, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
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13
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Caputo GA, London E. Analyzing Transmembrane Protein and Hydrophobic Helix Topography by Dual Fluorescence Quenching. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 2003:351-368. [PMID: 31218625 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9512-7_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The location of fluorescent groups relative to the lipid bilayer can be evaluated using fluorescence quenchers embedded in the membrane and/or dissolved in aqueous solution. Quenching can be used to define the membrane topography of membrane proteins and individual membrane-embedded hydrophobic helices by combining it with the placement of fluorescent groups, including Trp, at defined sequence positions. This chapter briefly discusses various quenching methods for studies of membrane protein topography, and provides detailed protocols for dual quencher analysis (DQA), a rapid, highly sensitive, and experimentally flexible approach in which the information gained from both a membrane-embedded and aqueous quencher is combined. The advantages of the DQA method include flexibility with regard to the bilayer compositions to which it can be applied, including membranes composed of lipids of varying head group and acyl chain compositions, as well as the ability to identify mixed populations of fluorophores residing at different depths within the bilayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory A Caputo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA
| | - Erwin London
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
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14
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Lee SR, Lee D, Yu JS, Benndorf R, Lee S, Lee DS, Huh J, de Beer ZW, Kim YH, Beemelmanns C, Kang KS, Kim KH. Natalenamides A⁻C, Cyclic Tripeptides from the Termite-Associated Actinomadura sp. RB99. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23113003. [PMID: 30453579 PMCID: PMC6278286 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23113003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, investigations into the biochemistry of insect-associated bacteria have increased. When combined with analytical dereplication processes, these studies provide a powerful strategy to identify structurally and/or biologically novel compounds. Non-ribosomally synthesized cyclic peptides have a broad bioactivity spectrum with high medicinal potential. Here, we report the discovery of three new cyclic tripeptides: natalenamides A–C (compounds 1–3). These compounds were identified from the culture broth of the fungus-growing termite-associated Actinomadura sp. RB99 using a liquid chromatography (LC)/ultraviolet (UV)/mass spectrometry (MS)-based dereplication method. Chemical structures of the new compounds (1–3) were established by analysis of comprehensive spectroscopic methods, including one-dimensional (1H and 13C) and two-dimensional (1H-1H-COSY, HSQC, HMBC) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), together with high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESIMS) data. The absolute configurations of the new compounds were elucidated using Marfey’s analysis. Through several bioactivity tests for the tripeptides, we found that compound 3 exhibited significant inhibitory effects on 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX)-induced melanin production. The effect of compound 3 was similar to that of kojic acid, a compound extensively used as a cosmetic material with a skin-whitening effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seoung Rak Lee
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.
| | - Dahae Lee
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.
| | - Jae Sik Yu
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.
| | - René Benndorf
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Sullim Lee
- College of Bio-Nano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Korea.
| | - Dong-Soo Lee
- College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Korea.
| | - Jungmoo Huh
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea.
| | - Z Wilhelm de Beer
- Forestry and Agriculture Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
| | - Yong Ho Kim
- SKKU-Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.
| | - Christine Beemelmanns
- Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans-Knöll-Institute, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany.
| | - Ki Sung Kang
- College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Korea.
| | - Ki Hyun Kim
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea.
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15
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Kalaydina RV, Bajwa K, Qorri B, Decarlo A, Szewczuk MR. Recent advances in "smart" delivery systems for extended drug release in cancer therapy. Int J Nanomedicine 2018; 13:4727-4745. [PMID: 30154657 PMCID: PMC6108334 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s168053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in nanomedicine have become indispensable for targeted drug delivery, early detection, and increasingly personalized approaches to cancer treatment. Nanoparticle-based drug-delivery systems have overcome some of the limitations associated with traditional cancer-therapy administration, such as reduced drug solubility, chemoresistance, systemic toxicity, narrow therapeutic indices, and poor oral bioavailability. Advances in the field of nanomedicine include “smart” drug delivery, or multiple levels of targeting, and extended-release drug-delivery systems that provide additional methods of overcoming these limitations. More recently, the idea of combining smart drug delivery with extended-release has emerged in hopes of developing highly efficient nanoparticles with improved delivery, bioavailability, and safety profiles. Although functionalized and extended-release drug-delivery systems have been studied extensively, there remain gaps in the literature concerning their application in cancer treatment. We aim to provide an overview of smart and extended-release drug-delivery systems for the delivery of cancer therapies, as well as to introduce innovative advancements in nanoparticle design incorporating these principles. With the growing need for increasingly personalized medicine in cancer treatment, smart extended-release nanoparticles have the potential to enhance chemotherapy delivery, patient adherence, and treatment outcomes in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Komal Bajwa
- Postgraduate Medical Education, Graduate Diploma and Professional Master in Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen's University
| | - Bessi Qorri
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University,
| | | | - Myron R Szewczuk
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University,
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16
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Wyatt LC, Moshnikova A, Crawford T, Engelman DM, Andreev OA, Reshetnyak YK. Peptides of pHLIP family for targeted intracellular and extracellular delivery of cargo molecules to tumors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E2811-E2818. [PMID: 29507241 PMCID: PMC5866553 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1715350115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The pH (low) insertion peptides (pHLIPs) target acidity at the surfaces of cancer cells and show utility in a wide range of applications, including tumor imaging and intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents. Here we report pHLIP constructs that significantly improve the targeted delivery of agents into tumor cells. The investigated constructs include pHLIP bundles (conjugates consisting of two or four pHLIP peptides linked by polyethylene glycol) and Var3 pHLIPs containing either the nonstandard amino acid, γ-carboxyglutamic acid, or a glycine-leucine-leucine motif. The performance of the constructs in vitro and in vivo was compared with previous pHLIP variants. A wide range of experiments was performed on nine constructs including (i) biophysical measurements using steady-state and kinetic fluorescence, circular dichroism, and oriented circular dichroism to study the pH-dependent insertion of pHLIP variants across the membrane lipid bilayer; (ii) cell viability assays to gauge the pH-dependent potency of peptide-toxin constructs by assessing the intracellular delivery of the polar, cell-impermeable cargo molecule amanitin at physiological and low pH (pH 7.4 and 6.0, respectively); and (iii) tumor targeting and biodistribution measurements using fluorophore-peptide conjugates in a breast cancer mouse model. The main principles of the design of pHLIP variants for a range of medical applications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linden C Wyatt
- Physics Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881
| | - Anna Moshnikova
- Physics Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881
| | - Troy Crawford
- Physics Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881
| | - Donald M Engelman
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Oleg A Andreev
- Physics Department, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881;
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17
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Ciudad S, Bayó-Puxán N, Varese M, Seco J, Teixidó M, García J, Giralt E. ‘À La Carte’ Cyclic Hexapeptides: Fine Tuning Conformational Diversity while Preserving the Peptide Scaffold. ChemistrySelect 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.201800254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Ciudad
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology; Baldiri Reixac, 10 08028 Barcelona Spain
| | - Núria Bayó-Puxán
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology; Baldiri Reixac, 10 08028 Barcelona Spain
| | - Monica Varese
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology; Baldiri Reixac, 10 08028 Barcelona Spain
| | - Jesús Seco
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology; Baldiri Reixac, 10 08028 Barcelona Spain
| | - Meritxell Teixidó
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology; Baldiri Reixac, 10 08028 Barcelona Spain
| | - Jesús García
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology; Baldiri Reixac, 10 08028 Barcelona Spain
| | - Ernest Giralt
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology; Baldiri Reixac, 10 08028 Barcelona Spain
- Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry; University of; Barcelona Spain
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18
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Characterization of a dual function macrocyclase enables design and use of efficient macrocyclization substrates. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1045. [PMID: 29051530 PMCID: PMC5648786 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00862-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptide macrocycles are promising therapeutic molecules because they are protease resistant, structurally rigid, membrane permeable, and capable of modulating protein-protein interactions. Here, we report the characterization of the dual function macrocyclase-peptidase enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of the highly toxic amanitin toxin family of macrocycles. The enzyme first removes 10 residues from the N-terminus of a 35-residue substrate. Conformational trapping of the 25 amino-acid peptide forces the enzyme to release this intermediate rather than proceed to macrocyclization. The enzyme rebinds the 25 amino-acid peptide in a different conformation and catalyzes macrocyclization of the N-terminal eight residues. Structures of the enzyme bound to both substrates and biophysical analysis characterize the different binding modes rationalizing the mechanism. Using these insights simpler substrates with only five C-terminal residues were designed, allowing the enzyme to be more effectively exploited in biotechnology.
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19
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Kydd J, Jadia R, Velpurisiva P, Gad A, Paliwal S, Rai P. Targeting Strategies for the Combination Treatment of Cancer Using Drug Delivery Systems. Pharmaceutics 2017; 9:E46. [PMID: 29036899 PMCID: PMC5750652 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics9040046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells have characteristics of acquired and intrinsic resistances to chemotherapy treatment-due to the hostile tumor microenvironment-that create a significant challenge for effective therapeutic regimens. Multidrug resistance, collateral toxicity to normal cells, and detrimental systemic side effects present significant obstacles, necessitating alternative and safer treatment strategies. Traditional administration of chemotherapeutics has demonstrated minimal success due to the non-specificity of action, uptake and rapid clearance by the immune system, and subsequent metabolic alteration and poor tumor penetration. Nanomedicine can provide a more effective approach to targeting cancer by focusing on the vascular, tissue, and cellular characteristics that are unique to solid tumors. Targeted methods of treatment using nanoparticles can decrease the likelihood of resistant clonal populations of cancerous cells. Dual encapsulation of chemotherapeutic drug allows simultaneous targeting of more than one characteristic of the tumor. Several first-generation, non-targeted nanomedicines have received clinical approval starting with Doxil® in 1995. However, more than two decades later, second-generation or targeted nanomedicines have yet to be approved for treatment despite promising results in pre-clinical studies. This review highlights recent studies using targeted nanoparticles for cancer treatment focusing on approaches that target either the tumor vasculature (referred to as 'vascular targeting'), the tumor microenvironment ('tissue targeting') or the individual cancer cells ('cellular targeting'). Recent studies combining these different targeting methods are also discussed in this review. Finally, this review summarizes some of the reasons for the lack of clinical success in the field of targeted nanomedicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janel Kydd
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
| | - Rahul Jadia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
| | - Praveena Velpurisiva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
| | - Aniket Gad
- Confocal Imaging Core, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Shailee Paliwal
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
| | - Prakash Rai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
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20
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Qiao ZY, Zhao WJ, Gao YJ, Cong Y, Zhao L, Hu Z, Wang H. Reconfigurable Peptide Nanotherapeutics at Tumor Microenvironmental pH. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2017; 9:30426-30436. [PMID: 28828864 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b09033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Peptide nanomaterials have recently attracted considerable interest in the biomedical field. However, their poor bioavailability and less powerful therapeutic efficacy hamper their further applications. Herein, we discovered reconfigurable and activated nanotherapeutics in the tumor microenvironment. Two peptides, that is, a pH-responsive peptide HLAH and a matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP2)-sensitive peptide with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) terminal were conjugated onto the hydrophobic poly(β-thioester)s backbones to gain the copolymer P-S-H. The therapeutic activity of the HLAH peptide could be activated in tumors owing to its reconfiguration under microenvironmental pH. The resultant copolymers self-assembled into nanoparticles under physiological condition, with HLAH in cores protected by PEG shells. The moderate size (∼100 nm) and negative potential enabled the stable circulation of P-S-H in the bloodstream. Once arrived at the tumor site, the P-S-H nanoparticles were stimulated by overexpressed MMP2 and acidic pH, and subsequently the shedding of the PEG shell and protonation of the HLAH peptide induced the reassembly of nanoparticles, resulting in the formation of nanoparticles with activated cytotoxic peptides on the surface. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the reorganized nanoassembly contained three merits: (1) effective accumulation in the tumor site, (2) enhanced antitumor capacity, and (3) no obvious toxic effect at the treatment dose. This on-site reorganization strategy provides an avenue for developing high-performance peptide nanomaterials in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng-Ying Qiao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100190, China
| | - Wen-Jing Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yu-Juan Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yong Cong
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lina Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiyuan Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100190, China
| | - Hao Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) , Beijing 100190, China
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21
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Scott HL, Westerfield JM, Barrera FN. Determination of the Membrane Translocation pK of the pH-Low Insertion Peptide. Biophys J 2017; 113:869-879. [PMID: 28834723 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.06.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The pH-low insertion peptide (pHLIP) is a leading peptide technology to target the extracellular acidosis that characterizes solid tumors. The pHLIP binds to lipid membranes, and responds to acidification by undergoing a coupled folding/membrane insertion process. In the final transmembrane state, the C terminus of pHLIP gets exposed to the cytoplasm of the target cell, providing a means to translocate membrane-impermeable drug cargoes across the plasma membrane of cancer cells. There exists a need to develop improved pHLIP variants to target tumors with greater efficiency. Characterization of such variants typically relies on determining the pK parameter, the pH midpoint of peptide insertion into the lipid bilayer. Here we report that the value of the pK can be strongly dependent on the method used for its determination. Membrane insertion of pHLIP involves at least four intermediate states, which are believed to be linked to the staggered titration of key acidic residues. We propose that some spectroscopic methods are influenced more heavily by specific membrane folding intermediates, and as a result yield different pK values. To address this potential problem, we have devised an assay to independently monitor the environment of the two termini of pHLIP. This approach provides insights into the conformation pHLIP adopts immediately before the establishment of the transmembrane configuration. Additionally, our data indicate that the membrane translocation of the C terminus of pHLIP, the folding step more directly relevant to drug delivery, occurs at more acidic pH values than previously considered. Consequently, such a pK difference could have substantial ramifications for assessing the translocation of drug cargoes conjugated to pHLIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haden L Scott
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Justin M Westerfield
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Francisco N Barrera
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.
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22
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Heinzmann K, Carter LM, Lewis JS, Aboagye EO. Multiplexed imaging for diagnosis and therapy. Nat Biomed Eng 2017; 1:697-713. [PMID: 31015673 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-017-0131-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Complex molecular and metabolic phenotypes depict cancers as a constellation of different diseases with common themes. Precision imaging of such phenotypes requires flexible and tunable modalities capable of identifying phenotypic fingerprints by using a restricted number of parameters while ensuring sensitivity to dynamic biological regulation. Common phenotypes can be detected by in vivo imaging technologies, and effectively define the emerging standards for disease classification and patient stratification in radiology. However, for the imaging data to accurately represent a complex fingerprint, the individual imaging parameters need to be measured and analysed in relation to their wider spatial and molecular context. In this respect, targeted palettes of molecular imaging probes facilitate the detection of heterogeneity in oncogene-driven alterations and their response to treatment, and lead to the expansion of rational-design elements for the combination of imaging experiments. In this Review, we evaluate criteria for conducting multiplexed imaging, and discuss its opportunities for improving patient diagnosis and the monitoring of therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Heinzmann
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Lukas M Carter
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Jason S Lewis
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Eric O Aboagye
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
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