Particulate formulations for the delivery of poly(I:C) as vaccine adjuvant.

Current research and development of antigens for vaccination often center on purified recombinant proteins, viral subunits, synthetic oligopeptides or oligosaccharides, most of them suffering from being poorly immunogenic and subject to degradation. Hence, they call for efficient delivery systems and potent immunostimulants, jointly denoted as adjuvants. Particulate delivery systems like emulsions, liposomes, nanoparticles and microspheres may provide protection from degradation and facilitate the co-formulation of both the antigen and the immunostimulant. Synthetic double-stranded (ds) RNA, such as polyriboinosinic acid-polyribocytidylic acid, poly(I:C), is a mimic of viral dsRNA and, as such, a promising immunostimulant candidate for vaccines directed against intracellular pathogens. Poly(I:C) signaling is primarily dependent on Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), and on melanoma differentiation-associated gene-5 (MDA-5), and strongly drives cell-mediated immunity and a potent type I interferon response. However, stability and toxicity issues so far prevented the clinical application of dsRNAs as they undergo rapid enzymatic degradation and bear the potential to trigger undue immune stimulation as well as autoimmune disorders. This review addresses these concerns and suggests strategies to improve the safety and efficacy of immunostimulatory dsRNA formulations. The focus is on technological means required to lower the necessary dosage of poly(I:C), to target surface-modified microspheres passively or actively to antigen-presenting cells (APCs), to control their interaction with non-professional phagocytes and to modulate the resulting cytokine secretion profile.

Evaluation of pH-dependent membrane-disruptive properties of poly(acrylic acid) derived polymers.

Anionic pH-sensitive membrane-disruptive polymers have evolved as a new class of bioactive excipients for the cytosolic delivery of therapeutic macromolecules. A large variety of anionic copolymers and analogues of poly(acrylic acid) (PA) was investigated and compared to a cationic PA copolymer. The pH-responsive membrane-disruptive properties were characterized by employing three in vitro models, such as pH dependent shift of pyrene fluorescence, liposome leakage and lysis of red blood cells. The pH-dependent increase of polarity and membrane disruption in the different model systems was in good agreement for all tested PA polymers. The efficacy of polymer-induced membrane disruption was concentration-dependent and significantly affected by the composition of the membrane. The sensitivity of relatively complex membranes of mammalian cells can be ranked between plain diphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomal membranes and the more rigid cholesterol-containing DPPC membranes. Among the various studied PA polymers, medium and low molecular poly(ethacrylic acid) (PEA) and poly(propacrylic acid) (PPA) were identified as displaying significant pH-dependent disruptive activity. Relative to the disruptive cationic PA polymer (PDMAEM) the ranking is PEA < PPA < PDMAEM. The fine tuning of the pH-responsive hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance is likely to be responsible for the superior effect of PEA and PPA compared to other anionic PA polymers. This thorough investigation of a large variety of different anionic PA polymers and the comparison with an efficient, although rather toxic cationic PA polymer provides a good assessment for further therapeutic applications.