Dual mechanistic TRAIL nanocarrier based on PEGylated heparin taurocholate and protamine which exerts both pro-apoptotic and anti-angiogenic effects.

The selective cytotoxicity of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) to cancer cells but not to normal cells makes it an attractive candidate for cancer therapeutics. However, the disadvantages of TRAIL such as physicochemical instability and short half-life limit its further clinical applications. In this study, TRAIL was encapsulated into a novel anti-angiogenic nanocomplex for both improved drug distribution at the tumor site and enhanced anti-tumor efficacy. A nanocomplex was prepared firstly by entrapping TRAIL into PEG-low molecular weight heparin-taurocholate conjugate (LHT7), which is previously known as a potent angiogenesis inhibitor. Then, protamine was added to make a stable form of nanocomplex (PEG-LHT7/TRAIL/Protamine) by exerting electrostatic interactions. We found that entrapping TRAIL into the nanocomplex significantly improved both pharmacokinetic properties and tumor accumulation rate without affecting the tumor selective cytotoxicity of TRAIL. Furthermore, the anti-tumor efficacy of nanocomplex was highly augmented (73.77±4.86%) compared to treating with only TRAIL (18.49 ± 19.75%), PEG-LHT7/Protamine (47.84 ± 14.20%) and co-injection of TRAIL and PEG-LHT7/Protamine (56.26 ± 9.98%). Histological analysis revealed that treatment with the nanocomplex showed both anti-angiogenic efficacy and homogenously induced cancer cell apoptosis, which suggests that accumulated TRAIL and LHT7 in tumor tissue exerted their anti-tumor effects synergistically. Based on this study, we suggest that PEG-LHT7/Protamine complex is an effective nanocarrier of TRAIL for enhancing drug distribution as well as improving anti-tumor efficacy by exploiting the synergistic mechanism of anti-angiogenesis.

Blocking microglial activation of reactive astrocytes is neuroprotective in models of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of age-related dementia. Increasing evidence suggests that neuroinflammation mediated by microglia and astrocytes contributes to disease progression and severity in AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. During AD progression, resident microglia undergo proinflammatory activation, resulting in an increased capacity to convert resting astrocytes to reactive astrocytes. Therefore, microglia are a major therapeutic target for AD and blocking microglia-astrocyte activation could limit neurodegeneration in AD. Here we report that NLY01, an engineered exedin-4, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, selectively blocks ß-amyloid (Aß)-induced activation of microglia through GLP-1R activation and inhibits the formation of reactive astrocytes as well as preserves neurons in AD models. In two transgenic AD mouse models (5xFAD and 3xTg-AD), repeated subcutaneous administration of NLY01 blocked microglia-mediated reactive astrocyte conversion and preserved neuronal viability, resulting in improved spatial learning and memory. Our study indicates that the GLP-1 pathway plays a critical role in microglia-reactive astrocyte associated neuroinflammation in AD and the effects of NLY01 are primarily mediated through a direct action on Aß-induced GLP-1R+ microglia, contributing to the inhibition of astrocyte reactivity. These results show that targeting upregulated GLP-1R in microglia is a viable therapy for AD and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib attenuates liver fibrosis by targeting activated hepatic stellate cells.

Liver fibrosis, a common outcome of chronic liver disease characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM), is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor neratinib is a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) inhibitor approved by the FDA for HER2-positive breast cancer treatment; however, it has not yet been evaluated for liver fibrosis treatment. We elucidated the anti-fibrotic effects of neratinib in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and in vivo models of CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. HSC activation is a key step in liver fibrogenesis and has a crucial role in collagen deposition, as it is primarily responsible for excessive ECM production. The effect of neratinib on HSC was evaluated in transforming growth factor (TGF-ß)-incubated LX-2 cells and culture-activated primary human HSCs. In vivo study results indicated that neratinib inhibited the inflammatory response, HSC differentiation, and collagen accumulation induced by CCl4. Moreover, the anti-fibrotic effects of neratinib were not associated with the HER2 signaling pathways. Neratinib inhibited FGF2 expression in activated HSCs and serum FGF2 level in the model, suggesting that neratinib possessed therapeutic potency against liver fibrosis and the potential for application against other fibrotic diseases.

Emerging PEGylated non-biologic drugs.

Introduction: PEGylation is a well-established technology for improving the therapeutic value of drugs by attaching polyethylene glycol (PEG). The first PEGylated enzyme products appeared on the market in the early 1990s; currently, more than 18 PEGylated products have been approved by Food and Drug Administration, which encompass various classes of drug molecules, such as enzymes, interferons, granulocyte colony-stimulating factors, hormones, antibody fragments, coagulation factors, oligonucleotide aptamers, synthetic peptides, and small organic molecules. Areas covered: While PEGylated products mainly comprise biologic drugs, such as recombinant proteins and enzymes, non-biologic drugs have recently emerged as a target for PEGylation. This review focuses on the recent development of PEGylated non-biologic drugs, such as small organic molecules, synthetic peptides, and aptamers. Expert opinion: Several PEGylated versions of anti-cancer drugs, opioid agonists, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, and oligonucleotide aptamers are in active development stage, and it is likely that they will have a dramatic impact on the market. Although some safety concerns about PEG in clinical trials have been recently issued, PEGylation is still a commercially attractive proposition as a half-life extension technology for long-acting drug development.

Targeting of dermal myofibroblasts through death receptor 5 arrests fibrosis in mouse models of scleroderma.

Scleroderma is an autoimmune rheumatic disorder accompanied by severe fibrosis in skin and other internal organs. During scleroderma progression, resident fibroblasts undergo activation and convert to α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expressing myofibroblasts (MFBs) with increased capacity to synthesize collagens and fibrogenic components. Accordingly, MFBs are a major therapeutic target for fibrosis in scleroderma and treatment with blocking MFBs could produce anti-fibrotic effects. TLY012 is an engineered human TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) which induces selective apoptosis in transformed cells expressing its cognate death receptors (DRs). Here we report that TLY012 selectively blocks activation of dermal fibroblasts and induces DR-mediated apoptosis in α-SMA+ MFBs through upregulated DR5 during its activation. In vivo, TLY012 reverses established skin fibrosis to near-normal skin architecture in mouse models of scleroderma. Thus, the TRAIL pathway plays a critical role in tissue remodeling and targeting upregulated DR5 in α-SMA+ MFBs is a viable therapy for fibrosis in scleroderma.

Chemical chaperone-conjugated exendin-4 as a cytoprotective agent for pancreatic ß-cells.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress has been considered a major cause of pancreatic ß-cell dysfunction and apoptosis leading to diabetes. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor activation and chemical chaperones have been known to reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress and improve ß-cell function and survival. The purpose of this study was to prepare and evaluate the chemical chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid-conjugated exendin-4 as a protective agent for pancreatic ß-cells. Mono-tauroursodeoxycholic acid-Lys27-exendin-4 conjugate (TUM1-Ex4) showed better receptor binding affinity than other conjugates with strong in vitro insulinotropic activity in rat pancreatic ß-cells and in vivo hypoglycemic activity in type 2 diabetic db/db mice. In INS-1 cells under endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by thapsigargin, TUM1-Ex4 promoted cell survival in a dose-dependent manner. In western blot analysis, TUM1-Ex4 reduced the expression of the endoplasmic reticulum stress marker GRP78 and phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2α. These results reveal that TUM1-Ex4 accelerates translational recovery and contributes to ß-cell protection and survival. The present study indicates that the chemical chaperone-coupled glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist is a feasible therapeutic strategy to enhance ß-cell function and survival.

Block of A1 astrocyte conversion by microglia is neuroprotective in models of Parkinson's disease.

Activation of microglia by classical inflammatory mediators can convert astrocytes into a neurotoxic A1 phenotype in a variety of neurological diseases1,2. Development of agents that could inhibit the formation of A1 reactive astrocytes could be used to treat these diseases for which there are no disease-modifying therapies. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP1R) agonists have been indicated as potential neuroprotective agents for neurologic disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease3-13. The mechanisms by which GLP1R agonists are neuroprotective are not known. Here we show that a potent, brain-penetrant long-acting GLP1R agonist, NLY01, protects against the loss of dopaminergic neurons and behavioral deficits in the α-synuclein preformed fibril (α-syn PFF) mouse model of sporadic Parkinson's disease14,15. NLY01 also prolongs the life and reduces the behavioral deficits and neuropathological abnormalities in the human A53T α-synuclein (hA53T) transgenic mouse model of α-synucleinopathy-induced neurodegeneration16. We found that NLY01 is a potent GLP1R agonist with favorable properties that is neuroprotective through the direct prevention of microglial-mediated conversion of astrocytes to an A1 neurotoxic phenotype. In light of its favorable properties, NLY01 should be evaluated in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and related neurologic disorders characterized by microglial activation.

Cancer preventive effect of recombinant TRAIL by ablation of oncogenic inflammation in colitis-associated cancer rather than anticancer effect.

The potential of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in inducing apoptosis is a hallmark in cancer therapeutics, after which its selective ability to achieve cell death pathways against cancer cells led to hope for recombinant TRAIL in cancer therapeutics. The present data from azoxymethane-initiated, dextran sulfate sodium-promoted colitis associated cancer (CAC) model strongly indicate the potential of rTRAIL in cancer prevention rather than in cancer therapeutics. Early treatment of rTRAIL significantly reduced colitis and CAC by inhibiting the recruitment of macrophages into the damaged mucosa and activating the scavenger activity with efferocytosis and the production of several growth factors. In contrast, late administration of rTRAIL as for anti-cancer effect did not decrease the initiation and development of CAC at all. Significant cancer preventing mechanisms of rTRAIL were identified. In the CAC model, anti-inflammation, regeneration, and efferocytosis was induced by treatment of TRAIL for 6 days, significant inhibitory activity was evident at 4 weeks and anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory induction were noted at 12 weeks. Most importantly, TRAIL promoted tissue regeneration by enhancing the resolution of pathological inflammation through the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. The results indicate that TRAIL reduces the induction of colitis and the initiation of CAC by inhibiting pro-inflammatory signaling and promoting tissue repair to maintain intestinal homeostasis through activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Therefore, TRAIL can be used as a chemopreventive agent against CAC, rather than as a therapeutic drug endowing apoptosis.

PEGylated TRAIL ameliorates experimental inflammatory arthritis by regulation of Th17 cells and regulatory T cells.

TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a death ligand that can induce apoptosis in cells expressing its cognate death receptors (DRs). Previously, we demonstrated the therapeutic potential of recombinant human TRAIL in experimental rheumatoid arthritis (RA) models. However, the mechanisms of how DR-mediated apoptosis elicits these actions is not known. Here, we show that systemically administering a potent, long-acting PEGylated TRAIL (TRAILPEG) is profoundly anti-rheumatic against two complementary experimental RA mouse models, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA), via targeting IL-17 secreting Th17 cells and regulatory T cells (Treg). Systemic administration of TRAILPEG after disease onset ameliorated the severity of inflammatory arthritis including arthritis indices, paw thickness, cartilage damage and neutrophil infiltration in both CIA and CAIA models. Additionally, the levels of inflammatory molecules (p-p65, ICAM-1, Cox-2, MMP3, and iNOS), pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-17) and accumulation of activated macrophages were significantly reduced after the TRAILPEG treatment. Importantly, TRAILPEG decreased the number of pro-inflammatory Th17 cells in inflamed arthritic joints through TRAIL-induced apoptosis while increasing anti-inflammatory Treg population in vivo. These results suggest that TRAILPEG ameliorates autoimmunity by targeting the Th 17-Tregs axis, making it a promising candidate drug for the treatment of RA.

Reducing agent-free synthesis of curcumin-loaded albumin nanoparticles by self-assembly at room temperature.

The purpose of this study was to prepare curcumin-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (CCM-BSA-NPs) by reducing agent-free self-assembly at room temperature. A 24 factorial design approach was used to investigate the CCM-BSA-NP preparation process at different pH values, temperatures, dithiothreitol amounts, and CCM/BSA mass ratios. Increasing the ionic strength enabled preparation of CCM-BSA-NPs at 25°C without reducing agent. CCM-BSA-NPs prepared under the optimized conditions at 25°C showed a particle size of 110±6nm, yield of 88.5%, and drug loading of 7.1%. The CCM-BSA-NPs showed strong antioxidant activity and neuroprotective effects in glutamate-induced mouse hippocampal neuronal HT22 cells. This study suggests that ionic strength can be a key parameter affecting the preparation of albumin-based NPs.

Exendins and exendin analogs for diabetic therapy: a patent review (2012-2015).

INTRODUCTION: Since exendin-4 (exenatide) was approved for diabetes therapy in 2005, several exendin analogs have been developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. As exenatide is a relatively short-acting injectable agent, major approaches have focused on developing long-acting exendin analogs to improve patient compliance and convenience. AREAS COVERED: In this review, the authors report on patents related to exendins and exendin analogs from 2012 to 2015. The patents have been divided into three categories based on the technologies used to develop the new chemical entities: 1) chemical bioconjugate analogs; 2) recombinant fusion protein analogs; and 3) multifunctional peptide analogs. EXPERT OPINION: Recently, research on exendins and their analogs has grown significantly, leading to the development of long-acting analogs and multifunctional peptides. While long-acting injectable agents are still the major products in the pharmaceutical industry, a significant growth is expected in the development of orally available exendins.

Trimeric PEG-Conjugated Exendin-4 for the Treatment of Sepsis.

Exendin-4 (EX4), a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist that regulates blood glucose levels, has been used in the management of type-2 diabetes mellitus. EX4 can be PEGylated to improve its antidiabetic effects by enhancing its stability and extending the circulation half-life. Here, to determine whether PEGylated EX4 is effective for the treatment of sepsis, C-terminal thiol-specific PEGylated EX4s with linear maleimide-PEG-2K, -5K, -20K and trimeric maleimide-PEG-50K (hereafter referred to as EX4-2K, EX4-5K, EX4-20K, and EX4-50K, respectively) were prepared, and their antiseptic responses were investigated. These PEGylated EX4s reduced cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced organ injury by decreasing hyperpermeability, and suppressing interactions between leukocytes and endothelial cells. The binding avidity and stability of EX4-50K toward GLP-1R were superior to that of wild-type EX4, as was the circulation half-life of EX4-50K. In addition, the antiseptic effects of EX4-50K were superior to those of other PEGylated EX4s, which may be attributed to enhanced proteolytic stability, longer circulation half-life, and higher receptor-binding affinity of EX4-50K due to its trimeric PEG structure. Therefore, EX4-50K may decrease CLP-induced septic mortality in vivo. There are currently neither effective preventatives against nor treatment options for sepsis; our results show that EX4-50K has the potential to treat sepsis.

Doxorubicin-Bound Albumin Nanoparticles Containing a TRAIL Protein for Targeted Treatment of Colon Cancer.

PURPOSE: We developed a new nanoparticle formulation comprised of human serum albumin (HSA) for co-delivery of doxorubicin (Dox) and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) with the goal of apoptotic synergy in the treatment of colon cancer. METHODS: TRAIL (0.2, 0.4, 1.0%)- and Dox-loaded HSA nanoparticles (TRAIL/Dox HSA NPs) were prepared by using the nab(TM) technology. Morphological and physicochemical characterizations were investigated by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Synergistic cytotoxicity, apoptotic activity, and potential penetration into mass tumor were determined in HCT116 cell-based systems. Furthermore, antitumor efficacy and tumor targeting were also investigated. RESULTS: TRAIL/Dox HSA NPs were uniformly spherical with sizes of 60 ~ 120 nm. The encapsulation efficacy of Dox and TRAIL was 68.9-77.2% and 80.4-86.0%, respectively. TRAIL 1.0%/Dox HSA NPs displayed the best inhibition of HCT116 colon cancer cells; inhibition was 6 times higher than achieved with Dox HSA NPs. The TRAIL 1.0%/Dox HSA NPs formulation was studied further. Flow cytometry analysis and TUNEL assay revealed that TRAIL 1.0%/Dox HSA NPs had markedly greater apoptotic activity than Dox HSA NPs. In HCT116 tumor-bearing BALB/c nu/nu mice, TRAIL 1.0%/Dox HSA NPs had significantly higher antitumor efficacy than Dox HSA NPs (tumor volume; 933.4 mm(3) vs. 3183.7 mm(3), respectively). TRAIL 1.0%/Dox HSA NPs penetrated deeply into tumor masses in a HCT116 spheroid model and localized in tumor sites after tail vein injection. CONCLUSIONS: Data indicate that TRAIL 1.0%/Dox HSA NPs offer advantages of co-delivery of Dox and TRAIL in tumors, with potential synergistic apoptosis-based anticancer therapy.

Systemic PEGylated TRAIL treatment ameliorates liver cirrhosis in rats by eliminating activated hepatic stellate cells.

UNLABELLED: Liver fibrosis is a common outcome of chronic liver disease that leads to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. No US Food and Drug Administration-approved targeted antifibrotic therapy exists. Activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) are the major cell types responsible for liver fibrosis; therefore, eradication of aHSCs, while preserving quiescent HSCs and other normal cells, is a logical strategy to stop and/or reverse liver fibrogenesis/fibrosis. However, there are no effective approaches to specifically deplete aHSCs during fibrosis without systemic toxicity. aHSCs are associated with elevated expression of death receptors and become sensitive to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced cell death. Treatment with recombinant TRAIL could be a potential strategy to ameliorate liver fibrosis; however, the therapeutic application of recombinant TRAIL is halted due to its very short half-life. To overcome this problem, we previously generated PEGylated TRAIL (TRAILPEG ) that has a much longer half-life in rodents than native-type TRAIL. In this study, we demonstrate that intravenous TRAILPEG has a markedly extended half-life over native-type TRAIL in nonhuman primates and has no toxicity in primary human hepatocytes. Intravenous injection of TRAILPEG directly induces apoptosis of aHSCs in vivo and ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-induced fibrosis/cirrhosis in rats by simultaneously down-regulating multiple key fibrotic markers that are associated with aHSCs. CONCLUSION: TRAIL-based therapies could serve as new therapeutics for liver fibrosis/cirrhosis and possibly other fibrotic diseases. (Hepatology 2016;64:209-223).

What is the future of PEGylated therapies?

The tremendous potential of biologic drugs is hampered by short half-lives in vivo, resulting in significantly lower potency than activity seen in vitro. These short-acting therapeutic agents require frequent dosing profiles that can reduce applicability to the clinic, particularly for chronic conditions. Therefore, half-life extension technologies are entering the clinic to enable improved or new biologic therapies. PEGylation is the first successful technology to improve pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles of therapeutic agents and has been applied in the clinic for over 25 years. Over 10 PEGylated therapeutics have entered the clinic since the early 1990 s, and new PEGylated agents continue to expand clinical pipelines and drug patent life. PEGylation is the most established half-life extension technology in the clinic with proven safety in humans for over two decades. Still, it is one of the most evolving and emerging technologies that will be applied for the next two decades.

Delivery of tumor-homing TRAIL sensitizer with long-acting TRAIL as a therapy for TRAIL-resistant tumors.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) has attracted great interest as a cancer therapy because it selectively induces death receptor (DR)-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells while sparing normal tissue. However, recombinant human TRAIL demonstrates limited therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials, possibly due to TRAIL-resistance of primary cancers and its inherent short half-life. Here we introduce drug delivery approaches to maximize in vivo potency of TRAIL in TRAIL-resistant tumor xenografts by (1) extending the half-life of the ligand with PEGylated TRAIL (TRAILPEG) and (2) concentrating a TRAIL sensitizer, selected from in vitro screening, in tumors via tumor-homing nanoparticles. Antitumor efficacy of TRAILPEG with tumor-homing sensitizer was evaluated in HCT116 and HT-29 colon xenografts. Western blot, real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry and cell viability assays were employed to investigate mechanisms of action and antitumor efficacy of the combination. We discovered that doxorubicin (DOX) sensitizes TRAIL-resistant HT-29 colon cancer cells to TRAIL by upregulating mRNA expression of DR5 by 60% in vitro. Intravenously administered free DOX does not effectively upregulate DR5 in tumor tissues nor demonstrate synergy with TRAILPEG in HT-29 xenografts, but rather introduces significant systemic toxicity. Alternatively, when DOX was encapsulated in hyaluronic acid-based nanoparticles (HAC/DOX) and intravenously administered with TRAILPEG, DR-mediated apoptosis was potentiated in HT-29 tumors by upregulating DR5 protein expression by 70% and initiating both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways with reduced systemic toxicity compared to HAC/DOX or free DOX combined with TRAILPEG (80% vs. 40% survival rate; 75% vs. 34% tumor growth inhibition). This study demonstrates a unique approach to overcome TRAIL-based therapy drawbacks using sequential administration of a tumor-homing TRAIL sensitizer and long-acting TRAILPEG.

Mono-lithocholated exendin-4-loaded glycol chitosan nanoparticles with prolonged antidiabetic effects.

Hydrophobically modified glycol chitosan (HGC) nanoparticles loaded with mono-lithocholic acid-conjugated exendin-4 at the Lys(27) residue (LAM1-Ex4) were prepared and characterized by particle size measurement, proteolytic stability, in vitro drug-release profile, and in vivo antidiabetic effects in a db/db diabetic mouse model. Compared with Ex-4-loaded HGC nanoparticles (Ex4/HGC NPs) prepared as a control, LAM1-Ex4-loaded HGC nanoparticles (LAM1-Ex4/HGC NPs) showed improved drug-loading efficiency, small particle size, enhanced resistance against proteolytic digestion, and an extended in vitro drug release profile. These findings may be attributable to the strong hydrophobic interaction between LAM1-Ex4 and the inner core of HGC. Furthermore, LAM1-Ex4/HGC NPs showed prolonged hypoglycemic efficacy in db/db mice, lasting 1 week after a single subcutaneous administration. The present study demonstrated that LAM1-Ex4/HGC NPs have considerable potential as a long-acting sustained-release antidiabetic system for type 2 diabetes.

Facile one-pot formulation of TRAIL-embedded paclitaxel-bound albumin nanoparticles for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab™) technology is an effective way of delivering hydrophobic chemotherapeutics. We developed a one-pot/one-step formulation of paclitaxel (PTX)-bound albumin nanoparticles with embedded tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL/PTX HSA-NP) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. TRAIL/PTX HSA-NPs were fabricated using a high-pressure homogenizer at a TRAIL feeding ratio of 0.2%, 1.0%, and 2.0%. TRAIL/PTX HSA-NPs were spherical and became larger in size (170-230 nm) with increasing TRAIL amount (0.2-2.0%). The loading efficiencies of PTX were in the range of ∼86.4% and significantly low at 2.0% TRAIL (60.4%). Specifically, the inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of TRAIL (1.0 or 2.0%)/PTX HSA-NPs were >20-fold lower than that of plain PTX-HSA NP (0.032±0.06, 0.022±0.005, and 0.96±0.15 ng/ml, respectively) in pancreatic Mia Paca-2 cells. Considering TRAIL loading, bioactivity, and particle size, TRAIL(1.0%)/PTX HSA-NPs were determined as the optimal candidate for further studies. TRAIL(1.0%)/PTX HSA-NPs displayed substantially greater apoptotic activity than plain PTX HSA-NP in both FACS and TUNEL analysis. The loaded PTX and TRAIL were gradually released from the TRAIL(1.0%)/PTX HSA-NPs until ∼24 h, which is considered to be a sufficient time for delivery to the tumor tissue. TRAIL(1.0%)/PTX HSA-NP displayed markedly more antitumor efficacy than plain PTX HSA-NP in Mia Paca-2 cell-xenografted mice in terms of tumor volume (size) and weight (213.9 mm(3) and 0.18 g vs. 1126.8 mm(3) and 0.80 g, respectively). These improved in vitro and in vivo performances were due to the combined synergistic effects of PTX and TRAIL. We believe that this TRAIL/PTX HSA-NP would have potential as a novel apoptosis-based anticancer agent.

In situ facile-forming PEG cross-linked albumin hydrogels loaded with an apoptotic TRAIL protein.

The key to making a practicable hydrogel for pharmaceutical or medical purposes is to endow it with relevant properties, i.e., facile fabrication, gelation time-controllability, and in situ injectability given a firm basis for safety/biocompatibility. Here, the authors describe an in situ gelling, injectable, albumin-cross-linked polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel that was produced using a thiol-maleimide reaction. This hydrogel consists of two biocompatible components, namely, thiolated human serum albumin and 4-arm PEG20k-maleimide, and can be easily fabricated and gelled in situ within 60s by simply mixing its two components. In addition, the gelation time of this system is controllable in the range 15s to 5min. This hydrogel hardly interacted with an apoptotic TRAIL protein, ensuring suitable release profiles that maximize therapeutic efficacy. Specifically, tumors (volume: 278.8mm(3)) in Mia Paca-2 cell-xenografted BALB/c nu/nu mice treated with the TRAIL-loaded HSA-PEG hydrogel were markedly smaller than mice treated with the hydrogel prepared via an amine-N-hydroxysuccinimide reaction or non-treated mice (1275.5mm(3) and 1816.5mm(3), respectively). We believe that this hydrogel would be a new prototype of locally injectable sustained-release type anti-cancer agents, and furthermore offers practical convenience for a doctor and universal applicability for a variety of therapeutic proteins.

Hyaluronic acid-tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand conjugate for targeted treatment of liver fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis is a chronic liver disease caused by viral infection and/or metabolic, genetic and cholestatic disorders. The inhibition of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and the selective apoptosis of activated HSCs can be a good strategy to treat liver fibrosis. The activated HSCs are known to be more susceptible to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induced apoptosis than normal HSCs because death receptor 5 is overexpressed on the cell surface. In this work, a target-specific and long-acting hyaluronic acid (HA)-TRAIL conjugate was successfully developed for the treatment of liver fibrosis. The HA-TRAIL conjugate was synthesized by a coupling reaction between aldehyde-modified HA and the N-terminal amine group of TRAIL. The biological activity of the HA-TRAIL conjugate was confirmed by an in vitro anti-proliferation assay and caspase-3 expression in human colon cancer HCT116 cells. In vivo real-time bioimaging exhibited the target-specific delivery of near-infrared fluorescence dye-labeled HA-TRAIL conjugate to the liver in mice. According to pharmacokinetic analysis, the HA-TRAIL conjugate was detected for more than 4days after single intravenous injection into Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Finally, we could confirm the antifibrotic effect of HA-TRAIL conjugate in an N-nitrosodimethylamine-induced liver fibrosis model SD rats.