Delivery of siRNA using folate receptor-targeted pH-sensitive polymeric nanoparticles for rheumatoid arthritis therapy.

Systemic delivery of siRNA to target tissues is difficult to achieve owing to its limited cellular uptake and poor serum stability. Herein, polymeric nanoparticles were developed for systemic administration of siRNA to inflamed tissues. The polymeric nanoparticles were composed of PK3 as a pH-sensitive polymer, folate-polyethyleneglycol-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) as a targeting ligand, and a DOTAP/siRNA core. The polymeric nanoparticles had a mean particle size of 142.6 ±â€¯0.61 nm and a zeta potential of 3.6 ±â€¯0.43 mV. In vitro studies indicated pH-dependent siRNA release from polymeric nanoparticles, with accelerated release at pH 5.0. Cellular uptake was efficient and gene silencing was confirmed by Western blot. In vivo, polymeric nanoparticles were shown to have inflammation-targeting activity and potent therapeutic effects in an adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model. These results suggest that pH-sensitive and folate receptor-targeted nanoparticles are a promising drug carrier for siRNA delivery for rheumatoid arthritis.

Self-Assembled pH-Sensitive Polymeric Nanoparticles for the Inflammation-Targeted Delivery of Cu/Zn-Superoxide Dismutase.

The use of superoxide dismutase (SOD) is currently limited by its short half-life, rapid plasma clearance rate, and instability. We synthesized a small library of biofriendly amphiphilic polymers that comprise methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(cyclohexane-1,4-diyl acetone dimethyleneketal) (mPEG-PCADK) and mPEG-poly((cyclohexane86.7%, 1,5-pentanediol13.3%)-1,4-diyl acetone dimethylene ketal) (PK3) for the targeted delivery of SOD. The novel polymers could self-assemble into micellar nanoparticles with favorable hydrolysis kinetics, biocompatibility, long circulation time, and inflammation-targeting effects. These materials generated a better pH-response curve and exhibited better hydrolytic kinetic behavior than PCADK and PK3. The polymers showed good biocompatibility with protein drugs and did not induce an acidic microenvironment during degradation in contrast to materials such as PEG-block-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and PLGA. The SOD that contained reverse micelles based on mPEG2000-PCADK exhibited good circulation and inflammation-targeting properties. Pharmacodynamic results indicated exceptional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in a rat adjuvant-induced arthritis model and a rat peritonitis model. These results suggest that these copolymers are ideal protein carriers for targeting inflammation treatment.

Effect of Binary Organic Solvents Together with Emulsifier on Particle Size and In vitro Behavior of Paclitaxel-Encapsulated Polymeric Lipid Nanoparticles.

BACKGROUND: Biodegradable nanoparticles with diameters between 100 nm and 500 nm are of great interest in the contexts of targeted delivery. OBJECTIVE: The present work provides a review concerning the effect of binary organic solvents together with emulsifier on particle size as well as the influence of particle size on the in vitro drug release and uptake behavior. METHODS: The polymeric lipid nanoparticles (PLNs) with different particle sizes were prepared by using binary solvent dispersion method. Various formulation parameters such as binary organic solvent composition and emulsifier types were evaluated on the basis of their effects on particle size and size distribution. PLNs had a strong dependency on the surface tension, intrinsic viscosity and volatilization rate of binary organic solvents and the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of emulsifiers. Acetone-methanol system together with pluronic F68 as emulsifier was proved to obtain the smallest particle size. Then the PLNs with different particle sizes were used to investigate how particle size at nanoscale affects interacted with tumor cells. RESULTS: As particle size got smaller, cellular uptake increased in tumor cells and PLNs with particle size of ~120 nm had the highest cellular uptake and fastest release rate. The paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded PLNs showed a size-dependent inhibition of tumor cell growth, which was commonly influenced by cellular uptake and PTX release. CONCLUSION: The PLNs would provide a useful means to further elucidate roles of particle size on delivery system of hydrophobic drugs.

Development of near zero-order release PLGA-based microspheres of a novel antipsychotic.

The novel antipsychotic isoperidone, a prodrug of paliperidone, was designed to improve liposolubility for the development of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-based microspheres to achieve near zero-order release behaviour in vivo. Microspheres with a smooth surface were obtained using the oil-in-water emulsion solvent evaporation method and yielded a high encapsulation efficiency of 92%. Pharmacokinetic studies in beagle dogs showed a one-week plateau phase followed by a two-week quasi-zero-order release with no burst release. The in vitro release method with a good in vitro-in vivo correlation was also established. Pharmacodynamic evaluation was performed using the MK-801-induced schizophrenic behavioural mouse model, and the sustained suppressive effect lasted two weeks. The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) relationship of isoperidone microspheres was compared to that of oral administration of free drug. The results revealed a strong correlation between the plasma drug level and the antipsychotic effect. A stable drug plasma concentration was detected in mice both intraday and interday from 8 to 22 d after a single injection of isoperidone microspheres, and a sustained suppressive effect on the schizophrenic model was also observed. In comparison, the mouse group receiving oral daily administration exhibited more dose-dependent effects, and the pharmacological effect diminished rapidly in conjunction with a reduction of the plasma drug levels 8h after the last administration of isoperidone on day 3. The above results confirm the superiority of long-acting release over oral administration and indicate a valuable alternative for the clinical treatment of schizophrenia.

Enhanced delivery of Paclitaxel using electrostatically-conjugated Herceptin-bearing PEI/PLGA nanoparticles against HER-positive breast cancer cells.

We have developed a novel nanoparticle delivery system fabricated from polyethylenimine (PEI) and poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), which were able to deliver the chemotherapeutic agent Paclitaxel, while the biomacromolecule Herceptin acted as a targeting ligand that was conjugated onto the surfaces of the nanoparticles via electrostatic interactions. In this study, these electrostatically-conjugated Herceptin-bearing PEI/PLGA nanoparticles (eHER-PPNs) were optimized and employed as vectors to target HER2-positive breast cancer cells. The eHER-PPNs had an average diameter of ∼ 280 nm and a neutral surface charge (1.00 ± 0.73 mV), which remained stable under physiological conditions. The anticancer effects of eHER-PPNs were investigated in HER2-positive BT474 cells and HER2-negative MCF7 cells. The eHER-PPNs showed enhanced cytotoxicity that was dependent on the receptor expression levels and the incubation time. These conjugated nanoparticles deliver Paclitaxel more efficiently (p<0.001) than unmodified PPNs, Herceptin and the combined effects of these two monotherapies. Furthermore, the chemically-conjugated Herceptin-bearing PEI/PLGA nanoparticles (cHER-PPNs) were fabricated as a comparison. The eHER-PPNs exhibited lower cell viability (46.7%) than that of cHER-PPNs (65.1%). The targeting ability of eHER-PPNs was demonstrated through confocal microscopy images and flow cytometry, which showed that eHER-PPNs displayed higher cellular uptake efficiency (p<0.001) in comparison with cHER-PPNs. Therefore, eHER-PPNs could provide promising platforms for the delivery of therapeutic drugs against HER2-positive breast cancers.

Comparison of three different conjugation strategies in the construction of herceptin-bearing paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles.

Research on quantitatively controlling the ligand density on the surface of nanocarriers is in the frontier and becomes a technical difficulty for targeted delivery system designing. In this study, we developed an improved pre-conjugation (Imp) strategy, in which herceptin as a ligand was pre-conjugated with DSPE-PEG2000-Mal via chemical cross-linking, followed by conjugation onto the surface of pre-prepared paclitaxel-loaded PLGA/DODMA nanoparticles (PDNs) through hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic attraction for paclitaxel delivery. Compared with the post-conjugation (Pos) strategy, in which the ligand was conjugated onto the nanoparticle surface after the preparation of the nanoparticles, it realized a precise control targeting effect via adjustment of the herceptin density on the surface of the nanoparticles. Within the range of 0-20% of DSPE-PEG2000-herceptin in the blend, it showed a linear relation with the ligand density on the surface of the nanoparticles. The Imp strategy protected the bioactivity of the ligand during the preparation of nanoparticles. At the same time it avoided the waste of an excess amount of herceptin to drive the conjugation reaction in comparison with the post-conjugation (Pos) strategy. The nanoparticles from the Imp strategy showed much better cytotoxicity (p < 0.001), tumor targeting and cellular uptake efficiency (p < 0.001) than that of the other strategies in BT474 cells, in which BT474 cells were HER2 receptor over-expression breast cancer cell lines. A significant reduction in cellular uptake of the nanoparticles from the Imp strategy was observed in the presence of sucrose and cytochalasin D, indicating that clathrin-mediated and caveolae-dependent endocytosis was as a primary mechanism of cellular entry for these antibody-modified nanoparticles.

Improving Protein Stability and Controlling Protein Release by Adding Poly (Cyclohexane-1, 4-Diyl Acetone Dimethylene Ketal) to PLGA Microspheres.

The use of biodegradable polymers such as PLGA to encapsulate therapeutic proteins for their controlled release has received tremendous interest. However, an acidic environment caused by PLGA degradation productions leads to protein incomplete release and chemical degradation. The aim of this study was to develop novel PCADK/PLGA microspheres to improve protein stability and release behavior. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) incubated in PCADK and PLGA degradation products was investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), size exclusion chromatography (SEC-HPLC), circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy. Blended microspheres of PCADK/PLGA were prepared in different ratios and the release behaviors of the microspheres and the protein stability were then measured. The degradation properties of the microspheres and the pH inside the microspheres were systematically investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to examine the mechanism of autocatalytic degradation and protein stability. BSA was more stable in the presence of PCADK monomers than it was in the presence of PLGA monomers, revealing that PCADK is highly compatible with this protein. PCADK/PLGA microspheres were successfully prepared, and 2/8 was determined to be the optimal ratio. Further, 43% of the BSA formed water-insoluble aggregates in the presence of PCADK/PLGA microspheres, compared with 57% for the PLGA microspheres, demonstrating that the BSA encapsulated in PCADK/PLGA blended microspheres was more stable than in PLGA microspheres. The PCADK/PLGA blended microspheres improved protein stability and release behavior, providing a promising protein drug delivery system.