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Chan A, Tsourkas A. Intracellular Protein Delivery: Approaches, Challenges, and Clinical Applications. BME FRONTIERS 2024; 5:0035. [PMID: 38282957 PMCID: PMC10809898 DOI: 10.34133/bmef.0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein biologics are powerful therapeutic agents with diverse inhibitory and enzymatic functions. However, their clinical use has been limited to extracellular applications due to their inability to cross plasma membranes. Overcoming this physiological barrier would unlock the potential of protein drugs for the treatment of many intractable diseases. In this review, we highlight progress made toward achieving cytosolic delivery of recombinant proteins. We start by first considering intracellular protein delivery as a drug modality compared to existing Food and Drug Administration-approved drug modalities. Then, we summarize strategies that have been reported to achieve protein internalization. These techniques can be broadly classified into 3 categories: physical methods, direct protein engineering, and nanocarrier-mediated delivery. Finally, we highlight existing challenges for cytosolic protein delivery and offer an outlook for future advances.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew Tsourkas
- Department of Bioengineering,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Polash SA, Garlick-Trease K, Pyreddy S, Periasamy S, Bryant G, Shukla R. Amino Acid-Coated Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework for Delivery of Genetic Material in Prostate Cancer Cell. Molecules 2023; 28:4875. [PMID: 37375429 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28124875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are currently under progressive development as a tool for non-viral biomolecule delivery. Biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids can be encapsulated in MOFs for therapeutic purposes. The favorable physicochemical properties of MOFs make them an attractive choice for delivering a wide range of biomolecules including nucleic acids. Herein, a green fluorescence protein (GFP)-expressing plasmid DNA (pDNA) is used as a representative of a biomolecule to encapsulate within a Zn-based metal-organic framework (MOF) called a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF). The synthesized biocomposites are coated with positively charged amino acids (AA) to understand the effect of surface functionalization on the delivery of pDNA to prostate cancer (PC-3) cells. FTIR and zeta potential confirm the successful preparation of positively charged amino acid-functionalized derivatives of pDNA@ZIF (i.e., pDNA@ZIFAA). Moreover, XRD and SEM data show that the functionalized derivates retain the pristine crystallinity and morphology of pDNA@ZIF. The coated biocomposites provide enhanced uptake of genetic material by PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. The AA-modulated fine-tuning of the surface charge of biocomposites results in better interaction with the cell membrane and enhances cellular uptake. These results suggest that pDNA@ZIFAA can be a promising alternative tool for non-viral gene delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakil Ahmed Polash
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Ian Potter NanoBiosensing Facility, NanoBiotechnology Research Laboratory (NBRL), RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | | | - Suneela Pyreddy
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Ian Potter NanoBiosensing Facility, NanoBiotechnology Research Laboratory (NBRL), RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Selvakannan Periasamy
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Gary Bryant
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Ravi Shukla
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Ian Potter NanoBiosensing Facility, NanoBiotechnology Research Laboratory (NBRL), RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
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