1
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King N, Dhumal D, Lew SQ, Kuo SH, Galanakou C, Oh MW, Chong SY, Zhang N, Lee LTO, Hayouka Z, Peng L, Lau GW. Amphiphilic Dendrimer as Potent Antibacterial against Drug-Resistant Bacteria in Mouse Models of Human Infectious Diseases. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:453-466. [PMID: 38241613 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Modern medicine continues to struggle against antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. Among the pathogens of critical concerns are the multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. These pathogens are major causes of nosocomial infections among immunocompromised individuals, involving major organs such as lung, skin, spleen, kidney, liver, and bloodstream. Therefore, novel approaches are direly needed. Recently, we developed an amphiphilic dendrimer DDC18-8A exhibiting high antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy in vitro. DDC18-8A is composed of a long hydrophobic alkyl chain and a small hydrophilic poly(amidoamine) dendron bearing amine terminals, exerting its antibacterial activity by attaching and inserting itself into bacterial membranes to trigger cell lysis. Here, we examined the pharmacokinetics and in vivo toxicity as well as the antibacterial efficacy of DDC18-8A in mouse models of human infectious diseases. Remarkably, DDC18-8A significantly reduced the bacterial burden in mouse models of acute pneumonia and bacteremia by P. aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae and neutropenic soft tissue infection by P. aeruginosa and MRSA. Most importantly, DDC18-8A outperformed pathogen-specific antibiotics against all three pathogens by achieving a similar bacterial clearance at 10-fold lower therapeutic concentrations. In addition, it showed superior stability and biodistribution in vivo, with excellent safety profiles yet without any observable abnormalities in histopathological analysis of major organs, blood serum biochemistry, and hematology. Collectively, we provide strong evidence that DDC18-8A is a promising alternative to the currently prescribed antibiotics in addressing challenges associated with nosocomial infections by MDR pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah King
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Dinesh Dhumal
- CNRS, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM), UMR 7325, Equipe Labelisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Aix Marseille University, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy 913, Marseille 13288, France
| | - Shi Qian Lew
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Shanny Hsuan Kuo
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Christina Galanakou
- CNRS, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM), UMR 7325, Equipe Labelisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Aix Marseille University, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy 913, Marseille 13288, France
| | - Myung Whan Oh
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Sook Yin Chong
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
| | - Nian Zhang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa 999078, Macau, China
| | - Leo Tsz On Lee
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa 999078, Macau, China
- Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa 999078, Macau, China
| | - Zvi Hayouka
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Ling Peng
- CNRS, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM), UMR 7325, Equipe Labelisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Aix Marseille University, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy 913, Marseille 13288, France
| | - Gee W Lau
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, United States
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Zhang P, Li Z, Cao W, Tang J, Xia Y, Peng L, Ma J. A PD-L1 Antibody-Conjugated PAMAM Dendrimer Nanosystem for Simultaneously Inhibiting Glycolysis and Promoting Immune Response in Fighting Breast Cancer. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2305215. [PMID: 37522451 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202305215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy affecting women, yet current therapeutic strategies remain ineffective for patients with late-stage or metastatic disease. Here an effective strategy is reported for treating metastatic breast cancer. Specifically, a self-assembling dendrimer nanosystem decorated with an antibody against programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is established for delivering a small interfering RNA (siRNA) to target 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1), a kinase involved in cancer metabolism and metastasis. This nanosystem, named PPD, is designed to target PD-L1 for cancer-specific delivery of the siRNA to inhibit PDK1 and modulate cancer metabolism while promoting programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 pathway-based immunotherapy. Indeed, PPD effectively generates simultaneous inhibition of PDK1-induced glycolysis and the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway-related immune response, leading to potent inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis without any notable toxicity in tumor-bearing mouse models. Collectively, these results highlight the potential use of PPD as an effective and safe tumor-targeting therapy for breast cancer. This study constitutes a successful proof of principle exploiting the intrinsic features of the tumor microenvironment and metabolism alongside a unique self-assembling dendrimer platform to achieve specific tumor targeting and siRNA-based gene silencing in combined and precision cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital (The Affiliated Luohu Hospital) of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518001, China
| | - Zhi Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital (The Affiliated Luohu Hospital) of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518001, China
| | - Weiling Cao
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital (The Affiliated Luohu Hospital) of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518001, China
| | - Jingjie Tang
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille, UMR 7325, "Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer", Marseille, 13288, France
| | - Yi Xia
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Ling Peng
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille, UMR 7325, "Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer", Marseille, 13288, France
| | - Jing Ma
- Department of Pharmacy, South China Hospital, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518116, P. R. China
- The Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518000, China
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3
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Laird M, Herrmann N, Carcel C, Trens P, Oliviero E, Toquer G, Le Parc R, Bantignies JL, Bartlett JR, Wong Chi Man M. Mesoporous organosilicas with thiol functionalised pores: multifunctional dendrimers as sacrificial building block and template. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:15617-15634. [PMID: 36070553 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr03097g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The synthesis of multifunctional poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM)-based dendrimers containing a cleavable disulfide linker within each arm of the dendrimer, together with condensable triethoxysilyl groups on the periphery of the dendrimer, is described. The dendrimers were mixed with 1,4-bis(triethoxysilyl)benzene and subsequently transformed into silsesquioxane gels or periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) to generate materials with dendrimers covalently embedded within the interior of the silsesquioxane networks. Subsequent treatment of the gels with dithiothreitol enabled the core of the dendrimers to be selectively cleaved at the disulfide site, thus generating thiol functions localised within the pores. The effect of different dendrimer generations on the reactivity of the pendant thiol functions was probed by impregnation with gold salts, which were reduced to obtain gold nanoparticles within the pore networks of the gels and PMOs. The gels yielded polydisperse gold nanoparticles (2 to 70 nm) with dimensions modulated by the generation of the dendrimer, together with well-defined gold/thiolate clusters with Au⋯S distances of 2.3 Å. Such clusters were also observed in the PMO system, together with monodispersed gold nanoparticles with diameters comparable to that of the organised pores in the PMO. The role of surface functionalisation in controlling the formation of gold clusters and/or nanoparticles is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Laird
- ICGM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France.
| | | | - Carole Carcel
- ICGM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France.
| | - Philippe Trens
- ICGM, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, Montpellier, France.
| | | | | | - Rozenn Le Parc
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), CNRS-Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | - John R Bartlett
- Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
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Pedro‐Hernández LD, Ramirez‐Ápan T, Martínez‐García M. Synthesis of Bifunctional Tris‐Dendrimers Conjugated with Ibuprofen and Naproxen. ChemistrySelect 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.202201335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Daniel Pedro‐Hernández
- Departament of Orgánic Chemistry Instituto de Química Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad Universitaria Circuito Exterior, Coyoacán C.P. 04510 México D.F. México
| | - Teresa Ramirez‐Ápan
- Departament of Orgánic Chemistry Instituto de Química Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad Universitaria Circuito Exterior, Coyoacán C.P. 04510 México D.F. México
| | - Marcos Martínez‐García
- Departament of Orgánic Chemistry Instituto de Química Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Ciudad Universitaria Circuito Exterior, Coyoacán C.P. 04510 México D.F. México
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5
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Zhao W, Yang S, Li C, Li F, Pang H, Xu G, Wang Y, Cong M. Amphiphilic Dendritic Nanomicelle-Mediated Delivery of Gemcitabine for Enhancing the Specificity and Effectiveness. Int J Nanomedicine 2022; 17:3239-3249. [PMID: 35924258 PMCID: PMC9341456 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s371775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Weidong Zhao
- Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Drugs, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
- Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shaoyou Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chunxiao Li
- Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Drugs, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
- Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Feifei Li
- Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Drugs, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
- Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Houjun Pang
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guangling Xu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Immunology and Targeted Drugs, School of Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
- Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuxin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mei Cong
- School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Mei Cong, School of Pharmacy, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, 453003, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 0373 3029879, Fax + 86 0373 3029879, Email
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Deng B, McNelles SA, Da-Ré G, Marando VM, Ros S, Stöver HDH, Adronov A. Neopentyl Esters as Robust Linkers for Introducing Functionality to Bis-MPA Dendrimers. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Billy Deng
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
| | - Stuart A. McNelles
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
| | - Giancarlo Da-Ré
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
| | - Victoria M. Marando
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
| | - Samantha Ros
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
| | - Harald D. H. Stöver
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
| | - Alex Adronov
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and the Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
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7
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A self-assembling prodrug nanosystem to enhance metabolic stability and anticancer activity of gemcitabine. CHINESE CHEM LETT 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cclet.2021.11.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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8
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Lyu Z, Ding L, Tintaru A, Peng L. Self-Assembling Supramolecular Dendrimers for Biomedical Applications: Lessons Learned from Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimers. Acc Chem Res 2020; 53:2936-2949. [PMID: 33275845 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Dendrimers, notable for their well-defined radial structures with numerous terminal functionalities, hold great promise for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, diagnostics, and therapeutics. However, their translation into clinical use has been greatly impeded by their challenging stepwise synthesis and difficult purification.To circumvent these obstacles, we have pioneered a self-assembly approach to constructing noncovalent supramolecular dendrimers using small amphiphilic dendrimer building units which can be easily synthesized and purified. By virtue of their amphipathic nature, the small amphiphilic dendrimers are able to self-assemble and generate large supramolecular dendrimers via noncovalent weak interactions such as van der Waals forces, H bonds, and electrostatic interactions. The so-created noncovalent dendrimers can mimic covalent dendrimers not only in terms of the radial structural feature emanating from a central core but also in their capacity to deliver drugs and imaging agents for biomedical applications. The noncovalent supramolecular dendrimers can be easily synthesized and modulated with regard to size, shape, and properties by varying the nature of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic entities as well as the dendrimer generation and terminal functionalities, ensuring their adaptability to specific applications. In particular, the dendritic structure of the amphiphilic building units permits the creation of large void spaces within the formed supramolecular dendrimers for the physical encapsulation of drugs, while the large number of surface functionalities can be exploited for both physical and chemical conjugation of pharmaceutic agents for drug delivery.Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers are the most intensively studied for biomedical applications by virtue of their excellent biocompatibility imparted by their peptide-mimicking amide backbones and numerous interior and terminal amine functionalities. We present a short overview of our self-assembly strategy for constructing supramolecular PAMAM dendrimers for biomedical applications. Specifically, we start with the introduction of dendrimers and their synthesis, focusing on the innovative self-assembly synthesis of supramolecular dendrimers. We then detail the representative examples of the noncovalent supramolecular PAMAM dendrimers established in our group for the delivery of anticancer drugs, nucleic acid therapeutics, and imaging agents, either within the dendrimer interior or at the dendrimer terminals on the surface. Some of the supramolecular dendrimer nanosystems exhibit outstanding performance, excelling the corresponding clinical anticancer therapeutics and imaging agents. This self-assembly approach to creating supramolecular dendrimers is completely novel in concept yet easy to implement in practice, offering a fresh perspective for exploiting the advantageous features of dendrimers in biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenbin Lyu
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM), UMR 7325, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, 13288 Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Institut de Chimie Radicalaire (ICR), UMR 7273, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Ling Ding
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM), UMR 7325, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, 13288 Marseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Centre de Résonance Magnétique Biologique et Médicale (CRMBM), UMR 7339, 13385 Marseille, France
| | - Aura Tintaru
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Institut de Chimie Radicalaire (ICR), UMR 7273, 13013 Marseille, France
| | - Ling Peng
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (CINaM), UMR 7325, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, 13288 Marseille, France
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9
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Ding L, Lyu Z, Tintaru A, Laurini E, Marson D, Louis B, Bouhlel A, Balasse L, Fernandez S, Garrigue P, Mas E, Giorgio S, Pricl S, Guillet B, Peng L. A self-assembling amphiphilic dendrimer nanotracer for SPECT imaging. Chem Commun (Camb) 2020; 56:301-304. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cc07750b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
An amphiphilic dendrimer bearing SPECT imaging reporters is self-assembled into supramolecular nanomicelles for effective tumor imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Ding
- Aix Marseille Univ
- CNRS
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (UMR 7325)
- Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer
- Marseille
| | - Zhenbin Lyu
- Aix Marseille Univ
- CNRS
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (UMR 7325)
- Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer
- Marseille
| | - Aura Tintaru
- Aix Marseille Univ
- CNRS
- Institut de Chimie Radicalaire (UMR7273)
- Marseille
- France
| | - Erik Laurini
- Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MolBNL@UniTS)
- DEA
- University of Trieste
- Trieste
- Italy
| | - Domenico Marson
- Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MolBNL@UniTS)
- DEA
- University of Trieste
- Trieste
- Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Eric Mas
- Aix Marseille Univ
- CNRS
- INSERM
- Institut Paoli-Calmettes
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM)
| | - Suzanne Giorgio
- Aix Marseille Univ
- CNRS
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (UMR 7325)
- Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer
- Marseille
| | - Sabrina Pricl
- Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MolBNL@UniTS)
- DEA
- University of Trieste
- Trieste
- Italy
| | | | - Ling Peng
- Aix Marseille Univ
- CNRS
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille (UMR 7325)
- Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer
- Marseille
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10
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Abstract
Nanotechnology-based imaging is expected to bring breakthroughs in cancer diagnosis by improving imaging sensitivity and specificity while reducing toxicity. Here, we developed an innovative nanosystem for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging based on a self-assembling amphiphilic dendrimer. This dendrimer assembled spontaneously into uniform supramolecular nanomicelles with abundant PET reporting units on the surface. By harnessing both dendrimeric multivalence and the “enhanced permeation and retention” (EPR) effect, this dendrimer nanosystem effectively accumulated in tumors, leading to exceedingly sensitive and specific imaging of various tumors, especially those that are otherwise undetectable using the clinical gold reference 2-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG). This study illustrates the power of nanotechnology based on self-assembling dendrimers to provide an effective platform for bioimaging and related biomedical applications. Bioimaging plays an important role in cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, imaging sensitivity and specificity still constitute key challenges. Nanotechnology-based imaging is particularly promising for overcoming these limitations because nanosized imaging agents can specifically home in on tumors via the “enhanced permeation and retention” (EPR) effect, thus resulting in enhanced imaging sensitivity and specificity. Here, we report an original nanosystem for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging based on an amphiphilic dendrimer, which bears multiple PET reporting units at the terminals. This dendrimer is able to self-assemble into small and uniform nanomicelles, which accumulate in tumors for effective PET imaging. Benefiting from the combined dendrimeric multivalence and EPR-mediated passive tumor targeting, this nanosystem demonstrates superior imaging sensitivity and specificity, with up to 14-fold increased PET signal ratios compared with the clinical gold reference 2-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG). Most importantly, this dendrimer system can detect imaging-refractory low–glucose-uptake tumors that are otherwise undetectable using [18F]FDG. In addition, it is endowed with an excellent safety profile and favorable pharmacokinetics for PET imaging. Consequently, this dendrimer nanosystem constitutes an effective and promising approach for cancer imaging. Our study also demonstrates that nanotechnology based on self-assembling dendrimers provides a fresh perspective for biomedical imaging and cancer diagnosis.
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