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Dastgerdi NK, Dastgerdi NK, Bayraktutan H, Costabile G, Atyabi F, Dinarvand R, Longobardi G, Alexander C, Conte C. Enhancing siRNA cancer therapy: Multifaceted strategies with lipid and polymer-based carrier systems. Int J Pharm 2024; 663:124545. [PMID: 39098747 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Cancers are increasing in prevalence and many challenges remain for their treatment, such as chemoresistance and toxicity. In this context, siRNA-based therapeutics have many potential advantages for cancer therapies as a result of their ability to reduce or prevent expression of specific cancer-related genes. However, the direct delivery of naked siRNA is hindered by issues like enzymatic degradation, insufficient cellular uptake, and poor pharmacokinetics. Hence, the discovery of a safe and efficient delivery vehicle is essential. This review explores various lipid and polymer-based delivery systems for siRNA in cancer treatment. Both polymers and lipids have garnered considerable attention as carriers for siRNA delivery. While all of these systems protect siRNA and enhance transfection efficacy, each exhibits its unique strengths. Lipid-based delivery systems, for instance, demonstrate high entrapment efficacy and utilize cost-effective materials. Conversely, polymeric-based delivery systems offer advantages through chemical modifications. Nonetheless, certain drawbacks still limit their usage. To address these limitations, combining different materials in formulations (lipid, polymer, or targeting agent) could enhance pharmaceutical properties, boost transfection efficacy, and reduce side effects. Furthermore, co-delivery of siRNA with other therapeutic agents presents a promising strategy to overcome cancer resistance. Lipid-based delivery systems have been demonstrated to encapsulate many therapeutic agents and with high efficiency, but most are limited in terms of the functionalities they display. In contrast, polymeric-based delivery systems can be chemically modified by a wide variety of routes to include multiple components, such as release or targeting elements, from the same materials backbone. Accordingly, by incorporating multiple materials such as lipids, polymers, and/or targeting agents in RNA formulations it is possible to improve the pharmaceutical properties and therapeutic efficacy while reducing side effects. This review focuses on strategies to improve siRNA cancer treatments and discusses future prospects in this important field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazgol Karimi Dastgerdi
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nazanin Karimi Dastgerdi
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hulya Bayraktutan
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | | | - Fatemeh Atyabi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Nanotechnology Research Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614315, Iran
| | - Rassoul Dinarvand
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Nanotechnology Research Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614315, Iran.
| | | | - Cameron Alexander
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Claudia Conte
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy.
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Gene-Activated Matrix with Self-Assembly Anionic Nano-Device Containing Plasmid DNAs for Rat Cranial Bone Augmentation. MATERIALS 2021; 14:ma14227097. [PMID: 34832496 PMCID: PMC8621468 DOI: 10.3390/ma14227097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We have developed nanoballs, a biocompatible self-assembly nano-vector based on electrostatic interactions that arrange anionic macromolecules to polymeric nanomaterials to create nucleic acid carriers. Nanoballs exhibit low cytotoxicity and high transfection efficiently in vivo. This study investigated whether a gene-activated matrix (GAM) composed of nanoballs containing plasmid (p) DNAs encoding bone morphogenetic protein 4 (pBMP4) could promote bone augmentation with a small amount of DNA compared to that composed of naked pDNAs. We prepared nanoballs (BMP4-nanoballs) constructed with pBMP4 and dendrigraft poly-L-lysine (DGL, a cationic polymer) coated by γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA; an anionic polymer), and determined their biological functions in vitro and in vivo. Next, GAMs were manufactured by mixing nanoballs with 2% atelocollagen and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) granules and lyophilizing them for bone augmentation. The GAMs were then transplanted to rat cranial bone surfaces under the periosteum. From the initial stage, infiltrated macrophages and mesenchymal progenitor cells took up the nanoballs, and their anti-inflammatory and osteoblastic differentiations were promoted over time. Subsequently, bone augmentation was clearly recognized for up to 8 weeks in transplanted GAMs containing BMP4-nanoballs. Notably, only 1 μg of BMP4-nanoballs induced a sufficient volume of new bone, while 1000 μg of naked pDNAs were required to induce the same level of bone augmentation. These data suggest that applying this anionic vector to the appropriate matrices can facilitate GAM-based bone engineering.
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Shido R, Sumita Y, Hara M, Iwatake M, Narahara S, Umebayashi M, Miura KI, Kodama Y, Asahina I. Gene-activated matrix harboring a miR20a-expressing plasmid promotes rat cranial bone augmentation. Regen Biomater 2021; 8:rbaa060. [PMID: 33738113 PMCID: PMC7955717 DOI: 10.1093/rb/rbaa060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene-activated matrix (GAM) has a potential usefulness in bone engineering as an alternate strategy for the lasting release of osteogenic proteins but efficient methods to generate non-viral GAM remain to be established. In this study, we investigated whether an atelocollagen-based GAM containing naked-plasmid (p) DNAs encoding microRNA (miR) 20a, which may promote osteogenesis in vivo via multiple pathways associated with the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs), facilitates rat cranial bone augmentation. First, we confirmed the osteoblastic differentiation functions of generated pDNA encoding miR20a (pmiR20a) in vitro, and its transfection regulated the expression of several of target genes, such as Bambi1 and PPARγ, in rat bone marrow MSCs and induced the increased expression of BMP4. Then, when GAMs fabricated by mixing 100 μl of 2% bovine atelocollagen, 20 mg β-TCP granules and 0.5 mg (3.3 μg/μl) AcGFP plasmid-vectors encoding miR20a were transplanted to rat cranial bone surface, the promoted vertical bone augmentation was clearly recognized up to 8 weeks after transplantation, as were upregulation of VEGFs and BMP4 expressions at the early stages of transplantation. Thus, GAM-based miR delivery may provide an alternative non-viral approach by improving transgene efficacy via a small sequence that can regulate the multiple pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rena Shido
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Sumita
- Basic & Translational Research Center for Hard Tissue Disease, Unit of Translational Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
| | - Masahito Hara
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
| | - Mayumi Iwatake
- Basic & Translational Research Center for Hard Tissue Disease, Unit of Translational Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
| | - Shun Narahara
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
| | - Mayumi Umebayashi
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan.,Laboratory of Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, 3640 University Street, M43, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B2, Canada
| | - Kei-Ichiro Miura
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
| | - Yukinobu Kodama
- Department of Hospital Pharmacy, Nagasaki University Hospital, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan
| | - Izumi Asahina
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8588, Japan
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Umebayashi M, Sumita Y, Kawai Y, Watanabe S, Asahina I. Gene-Activated Matrix Comprised of Atelocollagen and Plasmid DNA Encoding BMP4 or Runx2 Promotes Rat Cranial Bone Augmentation. Biores Open Access 2015; 4:164-74. [PMID: 26309793 PMCID: PMC4497668 DOI: 10.1089/biores.2014.0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, therapeutic method for in vivo gene delivery has not been established on bone engineering though its potential usefulness has been suggested. For clinical applications, an effective condition should be developed to transfer the genes in vivo without any transfection reagents or virus vectors. In this study, to facilitate the clinical setting of this strategy, particularly aimed at atrophic bone repair, we simply investigated whether manufactured gene-activated matrix (GAM) with atelocollagen containing a certain amount of plasmid (p) DNA encoding osteogenic proteins could augment the cranial bone in rat. GAMs were manufactured by mixing 0.02, 0.1, or 1 mg of AcGFP plasmid vectors harboring cDNA of BMP4 (pBMP4) or Runx2 (pRunx2) with 2% bovine atelocollagen and β-tricalcium phosphate granules. Before manufacturing GAMs, to determine the biological activity of generated pDNAs, we confirmed GFP expression and increased level of alkaline phosphatase activities in MC3T3-E1 cells transfected with pBMP4 or pRunx2 during culture. Then, GAMs were lyophilized and transplanted to onlay placement on the cranium. At 2 weeks of transplantation, GFP-expressing cells could be detectable in only GAMs containing 1 mg of AcGFP plasmid vectors. Then, at 4 weeks, significant bone formation was recognized in GAMs containing 1 mg of pDNAs encoding BMP4 or Runx2 but not in 0.02 or 0.1 mg of GAMs. These newly formed bone tissues surrounded by osteocalcin-stained area were augmented markedly until 8 weeks after transplantation. In contrast, minimal bone formation was observed in GAMs without harboring cDNA of osteogenic proteins. Meanwhile, when GAMs were transplanted to the cranial bone defect, bone formation was detectable in specimens containing 1 mg of pBMP4 or pRunx2 at 8 weeks as well. Thus, atelocollagen-based GAM reliably could form the engineered bone even for the vertical augmentation when containing a certain amount of plasmid vectors encoding osteogenic proteins. This study supports facilitating the clinical application of GAM for bone engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayumi Umebayashi
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Sumita
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yousuke Kawai
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Sumiko Watanabe
- Division of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Izumi Asahina
- Department of Regenerative Oral Surgery, Unit of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University , Nagasaki, Japan
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Bian GH, Cao G, Lv XY, Li QW, Sun H, Xiao Y, Ai JZ, Yang QT, Duan JJ, Wang YD, Zhang Z, Tan RZ, Liu YH, Yang Y, Wei YQ, Zhou Q. Down-regulation of Pkd2 by siRNAs suppresses cell-cell adhesion in the mouse melanoma cells. Mol Biol Rep 2009; 37:2387-95. [PMID: 19688268 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-009-9746-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2009] [Accepted: 08/05/2009] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The Pkd2 gene encodes an integral protein (~130 kDa), named polycystin-2 (PC-2). PC-2 is mainly involved in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Recently, polycystin-1/polycystin-2 complex has been shown to act as an adhesion complex mediating or regulating cell-cell or cell-matrix adhesion, suggesting that PC-2 may play a role in cell-cell/cell-matrix interactions. Here, we knocked down the expression of Pkd2 gene with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in the mouse melanoma cells (B16 cells), indicating that the cells transfected with the targeted siRNAs significantly suppressed cell-cell adhesion, but not cell-matrix adhesion, compared to the cells transfected with non-targeted control (NC) siRNA. This study provides the first directly functional evidence that PC-2 mediates cell-cell adhesion. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PC-2 modulated cell-cell adhesion may be, at least partially, associated with E-cadherin. Collectively, these findings for the first time showed that PC-2 may mediate cell-cell adhesion, at least partially, through E-cadherin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Hui Bian
- Core Facility of Gene Engineered Mice, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Keyuan the Fourth Road, The District of Hi&Tech, 610041 Chengdu, People's Republic of China
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Hoshino A, Manabe N, Fujioka K, Hanada S, Yasuhara M, Kondo A, Yamamoto K. GFP expression by intracellular gene delivery of GFP-coding fragments using nanocrystal quantum dots. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2008; 19:495102. [PMID: 21730662 DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/19/49/495102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Gene therapy is an attractive approach to supplement a deficient gene function. Although there has been some success with specific gene delivery using various methods including viral vectors and liposomes, most of these methods have a limited efficiency or also carry a risk for oncogenesis. We herein report that quantum dots (QDs) conjugated with nuclear localizing signal peptides (NLSP) successfully introduced gene-fragments with promoter elements, which promoted the expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene in mammalian cells. The expression of eGFP protein was observed when the QD/gene-construct was added to the culture media. The gene-expression efficiency varied depending on multiple factors around QDs, such as (1) the reading direction of the gene-fragments, (2) the quantity of gene-fragments attached on the surface of the QD-constructs, (3) the surface electronic charges varied according to the structure of the QD/gene-constructs, and (4) the particle size of QD/gene complex varied according to the structure and amounts of gene-fragments. Using this QD/gene-construct system, eGFP protein could be detected 28 days after the gene-introduction whereas the fluorescence of QDs had disappeared. This system therefore provides another method for the intracellular delivery of gene-fragments without using either viral vectors or specific liposomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiyoshi Hoshino
- International Clinical Research Center, Research Institute, International Medical Center of Japan, Toyama 1-21-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan. Department of Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics, Hospital Pharmacy, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School, 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan
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Sonoke S, Ueda T, Fujiwara K, Sato Y, Takagaki K, Hirabayashi K, Ohgi T, Yano J. Tumor regression in mice by delivery of Bcl-2 small interfering RNA with pegylated cationic liposomes. Cancer Res 2008; 68:8843-51. [PMID: 18974128 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-08-0127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The pharmacokinetics and antitumor activity of pegylated small interfering RNA (siRNA)/cationic liposome complexes were studied after systemic administration to mice. We designed pegylated-lipid carriers for achieving increased plasma concentrations of RNA and hence improved accumulation of RNA in tumors by the enhanced permeability and retention effect. We compared the pharmacokinetics of siRNA complexed with liposomes incorporating pegylated lipids with longer (C-17 or C-18), shorter (C-12 to C-16), or unsaturated (C-18:1) acyl chains. When longer acyl chains were used, the plasma concentrations of siRNA obtained were dramatically higher than when shorter or unsaturated chains were used. This may be explained by the higher gel-to-liquid-crystalline phase-transition temperature (Tc) of lipids with longer acyl chains, which may form more rigid liposomes with reduced uptake by the liver. We tested a siRNA that is sequence specific for the antiapoptotic bcl-2 mRNA complexed with a pegylated liposome incorporating a C-18 lipid (PEG-LIC) by i.v. administration in a mouse model of human prostate cancer. Three-fold higher accumulation of RNA in the tumors was achieved when PEG-LIC rather than nonpegylated liposomes was used, and sequence-specific antitumor activity was observed. Our siRNA/PEG-LIC complex showed no side effects on repeated administration and the strength of its antitumor activity may be attributed to its high uptake by the tumors. Pegylation of liposomes improved the plasma retention, uptake by s.c. tumors, and antitumor activity of the encapsulated siRNA. PEG-LIC is a promising candidate for siRNA cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoru Sonoke
- Discovery Research Laboratories, Nippon Shinyaku Co Ltd, Tsukuba, Japan.
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Pushparaj P, Aarthi J, Manikandan J, Kumar S. siRNA, miRNA, and shRNA: in vivo Applications. J Dent Res 2008; 87:992-1003. [DOI: 10.1177/154405910808701109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi), an accurate and potent gene-silencing method, was first experimentally documented in 1998 in Caenorhabditis elegans by Fire et al., who subsequently were awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine. Subsequent RNAi studies have demonstrated the clinical potential of synthetic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) or short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) in dental diseases, eye diseases, cancer, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and other illnesses. siRNAs are generally from 21 to 25 base-pairs (bp) in length and have sequence-homology-driven gene-knockdown capability. RNAi offers researchers an effortless tool for investigating biological systems by selectively silencing genes. Key technical aspects—such as optimization of selectivity, stability, in vivo delivery, efficacy, and safety—need to be investigated before RNAi can become a successful therapeutic strategy. Nevertheless, this area shows a huge potential for the pharmaceutical industry around the globe. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that the small RNA molecules, either indigenously produced as microRNAs (miRNAs) or exogenously administered synthetic dsRNAs, could effectively activate a particular gene in a sequence-specific manner instead of silencing it. This novel, but still uncharacterized, phenomenon has been termed ‘RNA activation’ (RNAa). In this review, we analyze these research findings and discussed the in vivo applications of siRNAs, miRNAs, and shRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- P.N. Pushparaj
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; and
- Department of Anatomy, National University of Singapore, 2 Medical Drive, MD9 #01-05, Singapore 117597
| | - J.J. Aarthi
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; and
- Department of Anatomy, National University of Singapore, 2 Medical Drive, MD9 #01-05, Singapore 117597
| | - J. Manikandan
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; and
- Department of Anatomy, National University of Singapore, 2 Medical Drive, MD9 #01-05, Singapore 117597
| | - S.D. Kumar
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore; and
- Department of Anatomy, National University of Singapore, 2 Medical Drive, MD9 #01-05, Singapore 117597
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