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Xu X, Li T, Jin K. Bioinspired and Biomimetic Nanomedicines for Targeted Cancer Therapy. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:1109. [PMID: 35631695 PMCID: PMC9147382 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14051109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Undesirable side effects and multidrug resistance are the major obstacles in conventional chemotherapy towards cancers. Nanomedicines provide alternative strategies for tumor-targeted therapy due to their inherent properties, such as nanoscale size and tunable surface features. However, the applications of nanomedicines are hampered in vivo due to intrinsic disadvantages, such as poor abilities to cross biological barriers and unexpected off-target effects. Fortunately, biomimetic nanomedicines are emerging as promising therapeutics to maximize anti-tumor efficacy with minimal adverse effects due to their good biocompatibility and high accumulation abilities. These bioengineered agents incorporate both the physicochemical properties of diverse functional materials and the advantages of biological materials to achieve desired purposes, such as prolonged circulation time, specific targeting of tumor cells, and immune modulation. Among biological materials, mammalian cells (such as red blood cells, macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils) and pathogens (such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi) are the functional components most often used to confer synthetic nanoparticles with the complex functionalities necessary for effective nano-biointeractions. In this review, we focus on recent advances in the development of bioinspired and biomimetic nanomedicines (such as mammalian cell-based drug delivery systems and pathogen-based nanoparticles) for targeted cancer therapy. We also discuss the biological influences and limitations of synthetic materials on the therapeutic effects and targeted efficacies of various nanomedicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqiu Xu
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; (X.X.); (T.L.)
- Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Tong Li
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; (X.X.); (T.L.)
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Ke Jin
- Laboratory of Human Diseases and Immunotherapies, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; (X.X.); (T.L.)
- Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
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Jerzykiewicz J, Czogalla A. Polyethyleneimine-Based Lipopolyplexes as Carriers in Anticancer Gene Therapies. MATERIALS 2021; 15:ma15010179. [PMID: 35009324 PMCID: PMC8746209 DOI: 10.3390/ma15010179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed rapidly growing interest in application of gene therapies for cancer treatment. However, this strategy requires nucleic acid carriers that are both effective and safe. In this context, non-viral vectors have advantages over their viral counterparts. In particular, lipopolyplexes—nanocomplexes consisting of nucleic acids condensed with polyvalent molecules and enclosed in lipid vesicles—currently offer great promise. In this article, we briefly review the major aspects of developing such non-viral vectors based on polyethyleneimine and outline their properties in light of anticancer therapeutic strategies. Finally, examples of current in vivo studies involving such lipopolyplexes and possibilities for their future development are presented.
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Moreno-Gutierrez DS, Zepeda-Cervantes J, Vaca L, Hernandez-Garcia A. An artificial virus-like triblock protein shows low in vivo humoral immune response and high stability. MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING. C, MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS 2021; 129:112348. [PMID: 34579876 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2021.112348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The use of viral vectors for in vivo gene therapy can be severely limited by their immunogenicity. Non-viral vectors may represent an alternative, however, reports analyzing their immunogenicity are still lacking. Here, we studied the humoral immune response in a murine model triggered by artificial virus-like particles (AVLPs) carrying plasmid or antisense DNA. The AVLPs were assembled using a family of modular proteins based on bioinspired collagen-like and silk-like sequences that produce virus-like particles. We compared our AVLPs against an Adeno Associated Virus 1 (AAV), a widely used viral vector for in vivo gene delivery that has been approved by the FDA and EMA for gene therapy. We found that a 1000-fold higher mass of AVLPs than AAV are necessary to obtain similar specific antibody titters. Furthermore, we studied the stability of AVLPs against relevant biological reagents such as heparin and fetal bovine serum to ensure nucleic acid protection in biological media. Our study demonstrates that the AVLPs are stable in physiological conditions and can overcome safety limitations such as immunogenicity. The scarce humoral immunogenicity and high stability found with AVLPs suggest that they have potential to be used as stealth non-viral gene delivery systems for in vivo studies or gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Silverio Moreno-Gutierrez
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Engineering and Bionanotechnology, Department of Chemistry of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Chemistry, UNAM, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jesús Zepeda-Cervantes
- Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Cellular Physiology, UNAM, Mexico; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, UNAM, Mexico
| | - Luis Vaca
- Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology, Institute of Cellular Physiology, UNAM, Mexico; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Armando Hernandez-Garcia
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Engineering and Bionanotechnology, Department of Chemistry of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Chemistry, UNAM, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico.
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Vasiliu T, Craciun BF, Neamtu A, Clima L, Isac DL, Maier SS, Pinteala M, Mocci F, Laaksonen A. In silico study of PEI-PEG-squalene-dsDNA polyplex formation: the delicate role of the PEG length in the binding of PEI to DNA. Biomater Sci 2021; 9:6623-6640. [PMID: 34582532 DOI: 10.1039/d1bm00973g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Biocompatible hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) is widely used in biomedical applications, such as drug or gene delivery, tissue engineering or as an antifouling component in biomedical devices. Experimental studies have shown that the size of PEG can weaken polycation-polyanion interactions, like those between branched polyethyleneimine (b-PEI) and DNA in gene carriers, but details of its cause and underlying interactions on the atomic scale are still not clear. To better understand the interaction mechanisms in the formation of polyplexes between b-PEI-PEG based carriers and DNA, we have used a combination of in silico tools and experiments on three multicomponent systems differing in PEG MW. Using the PEI-PEG-squalene-dsDNA systems of the same size, both in the all-atom MD simulations and in experimental in-gel electrophoresis measurements, we found that the binding between DNA and the vectors is highly influenced by the size of PEG, with the binding efficiency increasing with a shorter PEG length. The mechanism of how PEG interferes with the binding between PEI and DNA is explained using a two-step MD simulation protocol that showed that the DNA-vector interactions are influenced by the PEG length due to the hydrogen bond formation between PEI and PEG. Although computationally demanding we find it important to study molecular systems of the same size both in silico and in a laboratory and to simulate the behaviour of the carrier prior to the addition of bioactive molecules to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of the polyplex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tudor Vasiliu
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700487, Romania.
| | - Bogdan Florin Craciun
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700487, Romania.
| | - Andrei Neamtu
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, TRANSCEND IRO, Iaşi 700843, Romania
| | - Lilia Clima
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700487, Romania.
| | - Dragos Lucian Isac
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700487, Romania.
| | - Stelian S Maier
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700487, Romania. .,Polymers Research Center, "Gheorghe Asachi" Technical University of Iasi, Iasi, 700487, Romania
| | - Mariana Pinteala
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700487, Romania.
| | - Francesca Mocci
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700487, Romania. .,Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Università di Cagliari, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Aatto Laaksonen
- Center of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi 700487, Romania. .,Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Division of Physical Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.,State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, 210009 Nanjing, PR China.,Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics, Division of Energy Science, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden
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Saeed RM, Abdullah M, Ahram M, Taha MO. Novel Ellipsoid Chitosan-Phthalate Lecithin Nanoparticles for siRNA Delivery. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:695371. [PMID: 34395401 PMCID: PMC8355739 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.695371] [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: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has received increased interest as a gene therapeutic agent. However, instability and lack of safe, affordable, and effective carrier systems limit siRNA's widespread clinical use. To tackle this issue, synthetic vectors such as liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles have recently been extensively investigated. In this study, we exploited the advantages of reduced cytotoxicity and enhanced cellular penetration of chitosan-phthalate (CSP) together with the merits of lecithin (LC)-based nanoparticles (NPs) to create novel, ellipsoid, non-cytotoxic, tripolyphosphate (TPP)-crosslinked NPs capable of delivering siRNA efficiently. The resulting NPs were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and were found to be ellipsoid in the shape of ca. 180 nm in size, exhibiting novel double-layer shells, with excellent stability at physiological pH and in serum solutions. MTT assay and confocal fluorescence microscopy showed that CSP-LC-TPP NPs are non-cytotoxic and efficiently penetrate cancer cells in vitro. They achieved 44% silencing against SLUG protein in MDA-MB-453 cancer cells and were significantly superior to a commercial liposome-based transfection agent that achieved only 30% silencing under comparable conditions. Moreover, the NPs protected their siRNA cargos in 50% serum and from being displaced by variable concentrations of heparin. In fact, CSP-LC-TPP NPs achieved 26% transfection efficiency in serum containing cell culture media. Real-time wide-field fluorescence microscopy showed siRNA-loaded CSP-LC-TPP NPs to successfully release their cargo intracellularly. We found that the amphoteric nature of chitosan-phthalate polymer promotes the endosomal escape of siRNA and improves the silencing efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramzi Mukred Saeed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mohammed Abdullah
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mamoun Ahram
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mutasem Omar Taha
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
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Chong ZX, Yeap SK, Ho WY. Transfection types, methods and strategies: a technical review. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11165. [PMID: 33976969 PMCID: PMC8067914 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Transfection is a modern and powerful method used to insert foreign nucleic acids into eukaryotic cells. The ability to modify host cells' genetic content enables the broad application of this process in studying normal cellular processes, disease molecular mechanism and gene therapeutic effect. In this review, we summarized and compared the findings from various reported literature on the characteristics, strengths, and limitations of various transfection methods, type of transfected nucleic acids, transfection controls and approaches to assess transfection efficiency. With the vast choices of approaches available, we hope that this review will help researchers, especially those new to the field, in their decision making over the transfection protocol or strategy appropriate for their experimental aims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Xiong Chong
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Swee Keong Yeap
- China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Wan Yong Ho
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
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Biomedical nanoparticle design: What we can learn from viruses. J Control Release 2021; 329:552-569. [PMID: 33007365 PMCID: PMC7525328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Viruses are nanomaterials with a number of properties that surpass those of many synthetic nanoparticles (NPs) for biomedical applications. They possess a rigorously ordered structure, come in a variety of shapes, and present unique surface elements, such as spikes. These attributes facilitate propitious biodistribution, the crossing of complex biological barriers and a minutely coordinated interaction with cells. Due to the orchestrated sequence of interactions of their stringently arranged particle corona with cellular surface receptors they effectively identify and infect their host cells with utmost specificity, while evading the immune system at the same time. Furthermore, their efficacy is enhanced by their response to stimuli and the ability to spread from cell to cell. Over the years, great efforts have been made to mimic distinct viral traits to improve biomedical nanomaterial performance. However, a closer look at the literature reveals that no comprehensive evaluation of the benefit of virus-mimetic material design on the targeting efficiency of nanomaterials exists. In this review we, therefore, elucidate the impact that viral properties had on fundamental advances in outfitting nanomaterials with the ability to interact specifically with their target cells. We give a comprehensive overview of the diverse design strategies and identify critical steps on the way to reducing them to practice. More so, we discuss the advantages and future perspectives of a virus-mimetic nanomaterial design and try to elucidate if viral mimicry holds the key for better NP targeting.
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Craciun BF, Gavril G, Peptanariu D, Ursu LE, Clima L, Pinteala M. Synergistic Effect of Low Molecular Weight Polyethylenimine and Polyethylene Glycol Components in Dynamic Nonviral Vector Structure, Toxicity, and Transfection Efficiency. Molecules 2019; 24:E1460. [PMID: 31013863 PMCID: PMC6515267 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24081460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
When studying polyethylenimine derivatives as nonviral vectors for gene delivery, among the important issues to be addressed are high toxicity, low transfection efficiency, and nucleic acid polyplex condensation. The molecular weight of polyethylenimine, PEGylation, biocompatibility and, also, supramolecular structure of potential carrier can all influence the nucleic acid condensation behavior, polyplex size, and transfection efficiency. The main challenge in building an efficient carrier is to find a correlation between the constituent components, as well as the synergy between them, to transport and to release, in a specific manner, different molecules of interest. In the present study, we investigated the synergy between components in dynamic combinatorial frameworks formed by connecting PEGylated squalene, poly-(ethyleneglycol)-bis(3-aminopropyl) and low molecular weight polyethylenimine components to 1,3,5-benzenetrialdehyde, via reversible imine bond, applying a dynamic combinatorial chemistry approach. We report comparative structural and morphological data, DNA binding affinity, toxicity and transfection efficiency concerning the ratio of polyethylenimine and presence or absence of poly-(ethyleneglycol)-bis(3-aminopropyl) in composition of dynamic combinatorial frameworks. In vitro biological assessments have revealed the fact that nonviral vectors containing poly-(ethyleneglycol)-bis(3-aminopropyl) and the lowest amount of polyethylenimine have significant transfection efficiency at N/P 50 ratio and display insignificant cytotoxicity on the HeLa cell line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogdan Florin Craciun
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Centre of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 41 A, 700487 Iasi, Romania.
| | - Gabriela Gavril
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Centre of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 41 A, 700487 Iasi, Romania.
| | - Dragos Peptanariu
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Centre of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 41 A, 700487 Iasi, Romania.
| | - Laura Elena Ursu
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Centre of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 41 A, 700487 Iasi, Romania.
| | - Lilia Clima
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Centre of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 41 A, 700487 Iasi, Romania.
| | - Mariana Pinteala
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Centre of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 41 A, 700487 Iasi, Romania.
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