La(iii) biodistribution profiles from intravenous and oral dosing of two lanthanum complexes, La(dpp)3 and La(XT), and evaluation as treatments for bone resorption disorders.

Trivalent lanthanum (La3+) has the potential to treat bone resorption disorders (such as osteoporosis) by eliciting a bone-building response in the cells which control skeletal remodelling. Because La3+ suffers from extremely poor intestinal absorption, specifically designed chelators are required in order that a biologically active form of lanthanum can be administered orally. Two such chelators, 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyridinone (Hdpp) and bis-{[bis(carboxymethyl)amino]methy}phosphinic acid (H5XT), have previously been the subjects of extensive physical, in vitro, and in vivo testing as the tris- and mono-lanthanum(iii) complexes La(dpp)3 and La(XT), respectively. In this manuscript, we expand upon those studies to include 4-week intravenous (IV) and oral La3+ biodistribution profiles, which show that the metal ion initially accumulates in the liver followed by preferential redistribution and retention by bone. Of the two compounds, La(XT) demonstrates the more favourable in vivo characteristics, therefore dose-dependent oral biodistribution studies were carried out with this complex. These show drug saturation above a dose of 100 mg kg-1 day-1, so liver histology was performed in order to assess any potential toxicity. Finally, we improve upon the physical characterization of La(dpp)3 to include a single crystal X-ray structure, which exhibits an 8-coorindate La3+ centre with two bound water molecules, and a disordered exoclathrate-type hydrogen bonded network.

Development and assessment of conventional and targeted drug combinations for use in the treatment of aggressive breast cancers.

Combination chemotherapy has been at the forefront of cancer treatment for over 40 years. However, the rationale for selecting drug combinations and the process used to demonstrate clinical effectiveness has primarily followed trial and error methodology. Typically, the selection and assessment of combined drug therapies has been based on the effectiveness of each agent as monotherapy in treating the neoplasm and avoiding overlapping toxicities, followed by clinical trials to establish dose scheduling, toxicity, and efficacy. Unfortunately, this scheme is inefficient in terms of the time required to complete and revise these clinical trials based on the outcome to optimize the drug combination. A more rational approach for the development of combination oncology products should consider (i) in vitro assays for assessing therapeutic effects of drug combinations (antagonistic, additive or synergistic interactions) when added simultaneously; (ii) methods for measuring these interactions in vivo; (iii) the importance of understanding pharmacokinetic and biodistribution parameters when using drug combinations; (iv) the need to assess pathways known to contribute to cancer cell survival as well as metastasis; and (iv) the need to assess the fate of different cell populations (cancer and stroma) contributing to the development of cancer. Therefore, the goal of this article is to provide a road map for the preclinical development of drug combination products that will have improved therapeutic activity and a high likelihood of providing beneficial therapeutic outcomes in patients with aggressive cancers with a specific focus on patients with breast cancer.

15 targeted gene transfer : a practical guide based on experience with lipid-based plasmid delivery systems.

The overall goal of gene therapy is to cure or stabilize a disease process that results from the production of a mutant protein (for example, the chloride channel protein important in cystic fibrosis) or overproduction of a normal protein (such as the products of certain oncogenes). We can achieve this goal by replacing the defective gene or by reducing the overexpression of the target gene using an antisense strategy, thus reducing the production of the diseasepromoting protein (1,2). For either method, it is critical to transfer DNA into target cells in a concentration high enough to be effective in modifying the disease. DNA must be delivered to the desired cell population in an intact state, whereby it can be efficiently transcribed and ultimately translated. The method of gene transfer must be highly efficient and nontoxic, and the delivery system must be relatively easy to prepare and administer (3). There is a great deal of optimism surrounding the development of gene therapy as an effective strategy for management of many different human diseases. The active agent used to procure gene therapy is likely to consist of oligonucleotides, ribozymes, or a DNA sequence that can be transcribed into a message capable of eliciting a therapeutic response. Unlike conventional small-molecule therapeutics however, gene therapy requires the use of a carrier system to deliver the active agent directly into the target cell population.

A multi-step lipid mixing assay to model structural changes in cationic lipoplexes used for in vitro transfection.

Formation of liposome/polynucleotide complexes (lipoplexes) involves electrostatic interactions, which induce changes in liposome structure. The ability of these complexes to transfer DNA into cells is dependent on the physicochemical attributes of the complexes, therefore characterization of binding-induced changes in liposomes is critical for the development of lipid-based DNA delivery systems. To clarify the apparent lack of correlation between membrane fusion and in vitro transfection previously observed, we performed a multi-step lipid mixing assay to model the sequential steps involved in transfection. The roles of anion charge density, charge ratio and presence of salt on lipid mixing and liposome aggregation were investigated. The resonance-energy transfer method was used to monitor lipid mixing as cationic liposomes (DODAC/DOPE and DODAC/DOPC; 1:1 mole ratio) were combined with plasmid, oligonucleotides or Na(2)HPO(4). Cryo-transmission electron microscopy was performed to assess morphology. As plasmid or oligonucleotide concentration increased, lipid mixing and aggregation increased, but with Na(2)HPO(4) only aggregation occurred. NaCl (150 mM) reduced the extent of lipid mixing. Transfection studies suggest that the presence of salt during complexation had minimal effects on in vitro transfection. These data give new information about the effects of polynucleotide binding to cationic liposomes, illustrating the complicated nature of anion induced changes in liposome morphology and membrane behavior.

Liposomal lipid and plasmid DNA delivery to B16/BL6 tumors after intraperitoneal administration of cationic liposome DNA aggregates.

The transfer of plasmid expression vectors to cells is essential for transfection after administration of lipid-based DNA formulations (lipoplexes). A murine i.p. B16/BL6 tumor model was used to characterize DNA delivery, liposomal lipid delivery, and gene transfer after regional (i.p.) administration of free plasmid DNA and DNA lipoplexes. DNA lipoplexes were prepared using cationic dioleoyldimethylammonium chloride/dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (50:50 mol ratio) liposomes mixed with plasmid DNA (1 microgram DNA/10 nmol lipid). The plasmid used contained the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression (mU/g tumor) was measured to estimate transfection efficiency. Tumor-associated DNA and liposomal lipid levels were measured to estimate the efficiency of lipid-mediated DNA delivery to tumors. Plasmid DNA delivery was estimated using [3H]-labeled plasmid as a tracer, dot blot analysis, and/or Southern analysis. Liposomal lipid delivery was estimated using [14C]-dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine as a liposomal lipid marker. Gene expression in the B16/BL6 tumors was highly variable, with values ranging from greater than 2,000 mU/g tumor to less than 100 mU/g tumor. There was a tendency to observe enhanced transfection in small (<250 mg) tumors. Approximately 18% of the injected dose of DNA was associated with these small tumors 2 h after i.p. administration. Southern analysis of extracted tumor DNA indicated that plasmid DNA associated with tumors was intact 24 h after administration. DNA and associated liposomal lipid are efficiently bound to tumors after regional administration; however, it is unclear whether delivery is sufficient to abet internalization and appropriate subcellular localization of the expression vector.

Cationic liposome--plasmid DNA complexes used for gene transfer retain a significant trapped volume.

The goal of this study is to determine whether cationic liposomes retain any trapped volume after their complexation to plasmid DNA. This serves two purposes: to further the understanding of the physical nature of liposome/plasmid DNA complexes used in gene therapy and to investigate the potential for codelivery of other encapsulated molecules with the liposome-DNA complexes. Cationic liposomes composed of N,N-dioleoyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride and dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DODAC/DOPE, 50/50 mol %) encapsulating an aqueous trap marker were used to prepare liposome-DNA complexes at various charge ratios. The trapped volume before and after DNA binding was measured by two methods: dialysis and filtration. The effect of tissue culture medium on trapped volume was also investigated. A lipid-mixing assay was employed to further characterize the aggregation events that influence trap volume. The trapped volume (Vt) of neutral control liposomes was 1.1 +/- 0.04 microL/mumol, which was not affected by the addition of DNA. For cationic liposomes in the absence of DNA the Vt was 1.45 +/- 0.46 and 1.54 +/- 0.08 microL/mumol, as measured by the filtration and dialysis methods, respectively. After addition of DNA, the residual trapped volume (RVt) decreased to 0.43 +/- 0.1 microL/mumol and 0.47 +/- 0.05 microL/mumol, as determined by each method, respectively. RVt increased as the ratio of cationic lipid to DNA (nmol of lipid/mg of DNA) was increased above 10, a ratio that corresponds to a charge ratio (positively charged lipids to negatively charged phosphate groups) of 1.62. Aggregation and lipid-mixing were greatest at charge ratios coinciding with the lowest trapped volume. In the presence of tissue culture medium, the Vt of cationic liposomes but not neutral liposomes was reduced, suggesting that the salts have a direct effect on cationic liposomes in the absence of DNA. The RVt of both neutral and cationic liposomes in the presence of DNA, however, was not different from that of the liposomes in the absence of DNA. These results suggest that a significant trapped volume is retained by cationic liposomes after binding to plasmid DNA. This is an important finding with regard to the potential use of DNA/liposome complexes in the codelivery of other bioactive molecules at the time of cell transfection.

Differential sensitivity of human and mouse alkyltransferase to O6-benzylguanine using a transgenic model.

O6-benzlguanine (O6-bG) potentiates nitrosourea cytotoxicity of human tumor xenografts in nude mice by inactivating O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT). Recent reports dispute whether murine AGT, in cell-free systems, is less sensitive to O6-bG than the human AGT protein, raising the possibility that efficacy seen in the mouse host may not predict the therapeutic index observed in clinical trials. To establish whether mouse and human AGT have different sensitivity to O(6)-bG, we evaluated in vitro and in vivo models of O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase gene (MGMT) expression in the same genetic background. The 50% inhibitory concentration of O6-bG for inactivation of mouse AGT was >10-fold higher than for the human protein in MGMT-transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. A dose of O6-bG, which inactivated human AGT, markedly sensitized human MGMT-transfected CHO cells to 1,3-bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), whereas mouse MGMT-transfected CHO cells were much more resistant. O6-bG inactivation of AGT in vivo was studied in livers of human MGMT-transgenic mice expressing both human and mouse AGT. After a single dose of O6-bG i.p., the 50% inhibitory concentration of AGT was higher for mouse than for human AGT. To reconcile our finding with those of others, we sequenced the mouse MGMT cDNA and found that mutation of amino acid residue Leu180 was associated with O6-bG resistance. These studies provide strong evidence that inactivation of AGT both in vivo and in vitro by O6-bG is species selective and impacts O6-bG-mediated enhancement of BCNU toxicity. This may influence the therapeutic index of O6-bG-BCNU combinations observed in human tumor xenograft-bearing mice.

Plasmid DNA is protected against ultrasonic cavitation-induced damage when complexed to cationic liposomes.

Cationic liposomes bound to plasmid DNA are currently used for in vitro and in vivo gene therapy applications, but such complexes readily form large, heterogeneous aggregates that are not appropriate for pharmaceutical development. More importantly, size heterogeneity makes studies focused on optimizing gene transfer to cells difficult to conduct or understand. For this reason we have evaluated the effect of microprobe sonication on these complexes in an effort to achieve process-controlled size homogeneity. Complexes were prepared using a 7.2 kb reporter plasmid and the following liposomal lipid combinations: DDAB/DOPE (50:50 mol %), DDAB/DOPE/PEG-PE (50:45:5 mol %), DDAB/EPC (50:50 mol %), DDAB/EPC/PEG-PE (50:45:5, 50:40:10, 50:35:15 mol %), DODAC/DOPE (50:50 mol %), and DODAC/EPC (50:50 mol %) (DDAB, dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide; DOPE, dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine; PEG-PE, monomethoxypolyethylene glycol2000 succinate- distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine; EPC, egg phosphatidylcholine; DODAC, dioleoyldimethylammonium chloride). The influence of complex composition and lipid:DNA ratio was evaluated. Particle size was determined before and after complexation and again after sonication using the quasi-elastic light scattering technique. DNA integrity was assessed via agarose gel electrophoresis. Finally, gene transfection was evaluated using CHO cells that were transfected in vitro with sonicated and unsonicated complexes. It is established in this study that size reduction can occur, but this is dependent on cationic and neutral lipid composition and, in some cases, lipid:DNA ratio. Surprisingly, the process of sonication leaves a significant percentage of the plasmid DNA intact and capable of in vitro transfection. This study shows that plasmid DNA can be protected from damage due to sonication by liposome complex formation. This may indicate that more common pharmaceutical methods for size reduction which subject particles to mechanical stress may be applicable in preparation of liposome/DNA formulations for in vivo application.