Application of polyglycerol coating to plasmid DNA lipoplex for the evasion of the accelerated blood clearance phenomenon in nucleic acid delivery.

Cationic liposomes (CLs) have shown promise as nonviral delivery systems. To achieve in vivo stability and long circulation, most liposomes are modified with hydrophilic polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG). However, we have reported that repeated administration of PEG-coated CLs containing plasmid DNA (pDNA; PEGylated lipoplexes) induces what is referred to as "the accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon" and, consequently, subsequently administered lipoplexes lose their prolonged circulation characteristics. Anti-PEG IgM produced in response to the first dose of PEG-coated pDNA-lipoplexes (PEG-DCL) has proven to be a major cause of the ABC phenomenon. In this study, to evade and/or attenuate this unexpected immune response, we modified the surface of a lipoplex with polyglycerol (PG)-derived lipid. The PG-coated pDNA-lipoplex (PG-DCL) attenuated the production of anti-polymer IgM, whereas PEG-coated pDNA-lipoplex (PEG-DCL) did not. In addition, a second dose of PG-DCL maintained the accumulation level in the tumor tissue of a tumor-bearing mouse model, comparable to that of the first dose, whereas the tumor accumulation level of a second dose of PEG-DCL was significantly compromised, compared with the first dose of PEG-DCL. Our results indicate that surface modification of lipoplex with PG represents a viable means for the attenuation, and/or evasion, of the ABC phenomenon that is encountered upon repeated administrations of nucleic acids containing PEG-coated nanocarriers.

Anti-PEG IgM production by siRNA encapsulated in a PEGylated lipid nanocarrier is dependent on the sequence of the siRNA.

We recently reported that the prolonged circulation property of PEGylated cationic liposomes containing nucleic acids disappears, if the second dose is injected within a few days later, due to the production of anti-PEG IgM. This accelerated blood clearance is a concern for treating diseases which require repeated treatment with a PEGylated formulation containing nucleic acids. In this study, we investigated the effect of encapsulation of siRNA in a recently introduced PEGylated lipid nanocarrier for which the term "wrapsome" (PEGylated wrapsome, PEG-WS) was proposed as well as the sequence of the encapsulated siRNA on anti-PEG IgM production. siRNA encapsulated in PEG-WS produced little anti-PEG IgM relative to siRNA in conventional PEGylated lipoplexes. The sequence of siRNA in the PEG-WL dramatically affected the anti-PEG IgM production; a potent immune stimulatory siRNA induced a higher anti-PEG IgM production. Such enhanced effect was abrogated by incorporation of 2'-O-methyl (2'-OMe) uridine into the sequence of siRNA, probably via inhibiting cytokine induction such as IL-6 and TNF-α. Our results strongly indicate that the use of an encapsulation-type lipid nanocarrier with a low immuno-stimulatory siRNA may allow repeated dosing of siRNA containing PEGylated formulations without the induction of a strong immune reaction against PEG and thus may advance synthetic siRNA into a broad range of therapeutic applications.

Anti-PEG IgM Response against PEGylated Liposomes in Mice and Rats.

We have reported that PEGylated liposomes lose their long-circulating properties when they are administered repeatedly at certain intervals to the same animal. This unexpected phenomenon is referred to as the accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon. We recently showed that the ABC phenomenon is triggered via the abundant secretion of anti-PEG IgM in response to the first dose of PEGylated liposomes. However, the details of the underlying mechanism for the induction of anti-PEG IgM production are yet to be elucidated. The present study demonstrated that the spleen is a major organ involved in the secretion of anti-PEG IgM in mice and rats. Anti-PEG IgM production was detected in nude, T-cell deficient mice, but not in SCID mice with B- and T-cell deficiencies. These observations indicate that splenic B-cells secret anti-PEG IgM without help from T-cells. Sequential injections of PEGylated liposomes into the same mice did not promote isotype switching from IgM to IgG. Accordingly, PEGylated liposomes may function as a type-2, T-cell-independent antigen (TI-2 antigen) during anti-PEG IgM production. Although the underlying mechanism that causes an anti-PEG IgM response against PEGylated liposomes is not yet clear, our findings give implications in revealing the anti-PEG IgM response against PEGylated liposome.