Matrix Metalloproteinase-Responsive Delivery of PEGylated Fibroblast Growth Factor 2.

Attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains is a common, well-studied, and Food and Drug Administration-approved method to address the pharmacokinetic challenges of therapeutic proteins. Occasionally, PEGylation impairs the activity of pharmacodynamics (PD). To overcome this problem, disease-relevant cleavable linkers between the polymer and the therapeutic protein can unleash full PD by de-PEGylating the protein at its target site. In this study, we engineered a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-responsive fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) mutant that was site-specifically extended with a PEG polymer chain. Using bioinspired strategies, the bioconjugate was designed to release the native protein at the desired structure/environment with preservation of the proliferative capacity in vitro on NIH3T3 cells. In vivo, hepatic exposure was diminished but not its renal distribution over time compared to unconjugated FGF-2. By releasing the growth factor from the PEG polymer in response to MMP cleavage, restored FGF-2 may enter hard-to-reach tissues and activate cell surface receptors or nuclear targets.

Fibronectin fibers are highly tensed in healthy organs in contrast to tumors and virus-infected lymph nodes.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) acts as reservoir for a plethora of growth factors and cytokines some of which are hypothesized to be regulated by ECM fiber tension. Yet, ECM fiber tension has never been mapped in healthy versus diseased organs. Using our recently developed tension nanoprobe derived from the bacterial adhesin FnBPA5, which preferentially binds to structurally relaxed fibronectin fibers, we discovered here that fibronectin fibers are kept under high tension in selected healthy mouse organs. In contrast, tumor tissues and virus-infected lymph nodes exhibited a significantly higher content of relaxed or proteolytically cleaved fibronectin fibers. This demonstrates for the first time that the tension of ECM fibers is significantly reduced upon pathological tissue transformations. This has wide implications, as the active stretching of fibronectin fibers adjusts critical cellular niche parameters and thereby tunes the reciprocal cell-ECM crosstalk. Mapping the tensional state of fibronectin fibers opens novel and unexpected diagnostic opportunities.

Biodistribution of Site-Specific PEGylated Fibroblast Growth Factor-2.

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) is a small 18 kDa protein with clinical potential for ischemic heart disease, wound healing, and spinal cord injury. However, the therapeutic potential of systemic FGF-2 administration is challenged by its fast elimination. Therefore, we deployed genetic codon expansion to integrate an azide functionality to the FGF-2 N-terminus, which was site-directly decorated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) through bioorthogonal strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC). PEGylated FGF-2 was as bioactive as wild-type FGF-2 as demonstrated by cell proliferation and Erk phosphorylation of fibroblasts. The PEGylated FGF-2 conjugate was radiolabeled with [111In] Indium cation ([111In]In3+) to study its biodistribution through noninvasive imaging by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and by quantitative activity analysis of the respective organs in healthy mice. This study details the biodistribution pattern of site-specific PEGylated FGF-2 in tissues after intravenous (iv) administration compared to the unconjugated protein. Low accumulation of the PEGylated FGF-2 variant in the kidney and the liver was demonstrated, whereas specific uptake of PEGylated FGF-2 into the retina was significantly diminished. In conclusion, site-specific PEGylation of FGF-2 by SPAAC resulted in a superior outcome for the synthesis yield and in conjugates with excellent biological performances with a gain of half-life but reduced tissue access in vivo.

Novel peptide probes to assess the tensional state of fibronectin fibers in cancer.

Transformations of extracellular matrix (ECM) accompany pathological tissue changes, yet how cell-ECM crosstalk drives these processes remains unknown as adequate tools to probe forces or mechanical strains in tissues are lacking. Here, we introduce a new nanoprobe to assess the mechanical strain of fibronectin (Fn) fibers in tissue, based on the bacterial Fn-binding peptide FnBPA5. FnBPA5 exhibits nM binding affinity to relaxed, but not stretched Fn fibers and is shown to exhibit strain-sensitive ECM binding in cell culture in a comparison with an established Fn-FRET probe. Staining of tumor tissue cryosections shows large regions of relaxed Fn fibers and injection of radiolabeled 111In-FnBPA5 in a prostate cancer mouse model reveals specific accumulation of 111In-FnBPA5 in tumor with prolonged retention compared to other organs. The herein presented approach enables to investigate how Fn fiber strain at the tissue level impacts cell signaling and pathological progression in different diseases.

Radiolabeled 111In-FGF-2 Is Suitable for In Vitro/Ex Vivo Evaluations and In Vivo Imaging.

Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) is a potent modulator of cell growth and regulation, with improper FGF-2 signaling being involved in impaired responses to injury or even cancer. Therefore, the exploitation of FGF-2 as a therapeutic drives the prerequisite for effective insight into drug disposition kinetics. In this article, we present an 111In-radiolabeled FGF-2 derivative for noninvasive imaging in small animals deploying single photon emission tomography (SPECT). 111In-FGF-2 is equally well suitable for in vitro and ex vivo investigations as 125I-FGF-2. Furthermore, 111In-FGF-2 permits the performance of in vivo imaging, for example for the analysis of FGF-2 containing pharmaceutical formulations in developmental or preclinical stages. 111In-FGF-2 had affinity for the low-molecular-weight heparin enoxaparin identical to that of unlabeled FGF-2 (Kd: 0.6 ± 0.07 µM and 0.33 ± 0.03 µM, respectively) as assessed by isothermal titration calorimetry. The binding of 111In-FGF-2 to heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HPSGs) and the biological activity were comparable to those of unlabeled FGF-2, with EC50 values of 12 ± 2 pM and 25 ± 6 pM, respectively. In vivo biodistribution in healthy nude mice indicated a predominant accumulation of 111In-FGF-2 in filtering organs and minor uptake in the retina and the salivary and pituitary glands, which was confirmed by SPECT imaging. Therefore, 111In-FGF-2 is a valid tracer for future noninvasive animal imaging of FGF-2 in pharmaceutical development.

Different biological and prognostic breast cancer populations identified by FDG-PET in sentinel node-positive patients: results and clinical implications after eight-years follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Sentinel node (SN) biopsy is the standard method to evaluate axillary node involvement in breast cancer (BC). Positron emission tomography with 2-(fluorine-18)-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG-PET) provides a non-invasive tool to evaluate regional nodes in BC in a metabolic-dependent, biomolecular-related way. In 1999, we initiated a prospective non-randomized study to compare these two methods and to test the hypothesis that FDG-PET results reflect biomolecular characteristics of the primary tumor, thereby yielding valuable prognostic information. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 145 cT1N0 BC patients, aged 24-70 years, underwent FDG-PET and lymphoscintigraphy before surgery. SN biopsy was followed in all cases by complete axillary dissection. Pathologic evaluation in tissue sections for involvement of the SN and other non-SN nodes served as the basis of the comparison between FDG-PET imaging and SN biopsy. RESULTS: FDG-PET and SN biopsy sensitivity was 72.6% and 88.7%, respectively, and negative predictive values were 80.5% and 92.2%, respectively. A subgroup of more aggressive tumors (ER-GIII, Her2+) was found mainly in the FDG-PET true-positive (FDG-PET+) patients, whereas LuminalA, Mib1 low-rate BCs were significantly undetected (p = 0.009) in FDG-PET false-negative (FDG-PET-) patients. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates after a median follow-up of more than 8 years showed significantly worse overall survival for FDG-PET+ patients in node-positive (N+) patients (p = 0.035) as compared to N+/FDG-PET- patients, which overlapped with survival curves of N- and FDG-PET+ or - patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that FDG-PET results reflect intrinsic biologic features of primary BC tumors and have prognostic value with respect to nodal metastases. FDG-PET false negative cases appear to identify less aggressive indolent metastases. The possibility to identify a subgroup of N+ BC patients with an outcome comparable with N- BC patients could reduce the surgical and adjuvant therapeutic intervention.

Is complete axillary dissection necessary for all patients with positive findings on sentinel lymph node biopsy? Validation of a breast cancer nomogram for predicting the likelihood of a non-sentinel lymph node.

AIM AND BACKGROUND: Axillary dissection in patients positive for sentinel lymph nodes is currently under discussion in the literature, since approximately only 50% of such patients has metastases in the remaining lymph nodes. To identify patients at risk for non-sentinel lymph nodes metastases, a nomogram was developed by the Breast Service of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The aim of this study was to assess the nomogram's predictive accuracy in a population of Italian breast cancer patients in our hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The system of calculation used as variables prognostic factors of breast cancer: pathologic size, tumor type and nuclear grade, lymphovascular invasion, multifocality, estrogen receptor status, method of detection of the sentinel lymph nodes metastases (frozen section, serial hematoxylin-eosin, routine hematoxylin-eosin, and immunohistochemistry), number of positive and number of negative sentinel lymph nodes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: To measure the discrimination of the nomogram, a receiver-operating characteristic curve was construed, and the area under the curve was calculated. However, the area under the curve was 0.72, a very high value considering that the limit of acceptability is 0.70-0.80. The calculation system developed by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center provides a predictive value on the histopathologic state of sentinel lymph nodes.