Myeloid cell reprogramming alleviates immunosuppression and promotes clearance of metastatic lesions.

Suppressive myeloid cells, including monocyte and neutrophil populations, play a vital role in the metastatic cascade and can inhibit the anti-tumor function of cytotoxic T-cells. Cargo-free polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have been shown to modulate innate immune cell responses in multiple pathologies of aberrant inflammation. Here, we test the hypothesis that the intravenous administration of drug-free NPs in the 4T1 murine model of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer can reduce metastatic colonization of the lungs, the primary metastatic site, by targeting the pro-tumor immune cell mediators of metastatic progression. In vivo studies demonstrated that NP administration reprograms the immune milieu of the lungs and reduces pulmonary metastases. Single-cell RNA sequencing of the lungs revealed that intravenous NP administration alters myeloid cell phenotype and function, skewing populations toward inflammatory, anti-tumor phenotypes and away from pro-tumor phenotypes. Monocytes, neutrophils, and dendritic cells in the lungs of NP-treated mice upregulate gene pathways associated with IFN signaling, TNF signaling, and antigen presentation. In a T-cell deficient model, NP administration failed to abrogate pulmonary metastases, implicating the vital role of T-cells in the NP-mediated reduction of metastases. NPs delivered as an adjuvant therapy, following surgical resection of the primary tumor, led to clearance of established pulmonary metastases in all treated mice. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the in vivo administration of cargo-free NPs reprograms myeloid cell responses at the lungs and promotes the clearance of pulmonary metastases in a method of action dependent on functional T-cells.

Tolerogenic Immune-Modifying Nanoparticles Encapsulating Multiple Recombinant Pancreatic ß Cell Proteins Prevent Onset and Progression of Type 1 Diabetes in Nonobese Diabetic Mice.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by T and B cell responses to proteins expressed by insulin-producing pancreatic ß cells, inflammatory lesions within islets (insulitis), and ß cell loss. We previously showed that Ag-specific tolerance targeting single ß cell protein epitopes is effective in preventing T1D induced by transfer of monospecific diabetogenic CD4 and CD8 transgenic T cells to NOD.scid mice. However, tolerance induction to individual diabetogenic proteins, for example, GAD65 (glutamic acid decarboxylase 65) or insulin, has failed to ameliorate T1D both in wild-type NOD mice and in the clinic. Initiation and progression of T1D is likely due to activation of T cells specific for multiple diabetogenic epitopes. To test this hypothesis, recombinant insulin, GAD65, and chromogranin A proteins were encapsulated within poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (COUR CNPs) to assess regulatory T cell induction, inhibition of Ag-specific T cell responses, and blockade of T1D induction/progression in NOD mice. Whereas treatment of NOD mice with CNPs containing a single protein inhibited the corresponding Ag-specific T cell response, inhibition of overt T1D development only occurred when all three diabetogenic proteins were included within the CNPs (CNP-T1D). Blockade of T1D following CNP-T1D tolerization was characterized by regulatory T cell induction and a significant decrease in both peri-insulitis and immune cell infiltration into pancreatic islets. As we have recently published that CNP treatment is both safe and induced Ag-specific tolerance in a phase 1/2a celiac disease clinical trial, Ag-specific tolerance induced by nanoparticles encapsulating multiple diabetogenic proteins is a promising approach to T1D treatment.

Rapid and sensitive detection of cardiac troponin I using a force enhanced immunoassay with nanoporous membrane.

There is a need for point of care diagnostic technologies that are rapid, sensitive, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive. In this article we describe an assay that uses an antibody functionalized nanoporous membrane and superparamagnetic beads to capture and detect human cardiac troponin I (cTnI), which is an important biomarker for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The membrane assisted force differentiation assay (mFDA) is capable of detecting cTnI at a sensitivity of 0.1 pg ml-1 in 15% serum in less than 16 minutes, which is a significant improvement in performance over conventional lateral flow immuosorbant assays. The speed of this assay results from the rapid concentration of cTnI on the surface of the nanoporous membrane and the use of the magnetic beads to react with the analyte, which rapidly react with the immobilized cTnI. The increased sensitivity of assay results from the use of magnetically controlled forces that reduce the nonspecific background and modify both the on-rate and off-rate. We believe that the improved performance and ease of application of the mFDA will make it useful in the early identification of AMI as well as other diseases based on the detection of 1 pg ml-1 variations in the concentrations cTnI in blood.

Cargo-less nanoparticles program innate immune cell responses to toll-like receptor activation.

Developing biomaterials to control the responsiveness of innate immune cells represents a clinically relevant approach to treat diseases with an underlying inflammatory basis, such as sepsis. Sepsis can involve activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, which activates numerous inflammatory pathways. The breadth of this inflammation has limited the efficacy of pharmacological interventions that target a single molecular pathway. Here, we developed cargo-less particles as a single-agent, multi-target platform to elicit broad anti-inflammatory action against innate immune cells challenged by multiple TLR agonists. The particles, prepared from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA), displayed potent molecular weight-, polymer composition-, and charge-dependent immunomodulatory properties, including downregulation of TLR-induced costimulatory molecule expression and cytokine secretion. Particles prepared using the anionic surfactant poly(ethylene-alt-maleic acid) (PEMA) significantly blunted the responses of antigen presenting cells to TLR4 (lipopolysaccharide) and TLR9 (CpG-ODN) agonists, demonstrating broad inhibitory activity to both extracellular and intracellular TLR ligands. Interestingly, particles prepared using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), a neutrally-charged surfactant, only marginally inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretions. The biochemical pathways modulated by particles were investigated using TRanscriptional Activity CEll aRrays (TRACER), which implicated IRF1, STAT1, and AP-1 in the mechanism of action for PLA-PEMA particles. Using an LPS-induced endotoxemia mouse model, administration of PLA-PEMA particles prior to or following a lethal challenge resulted in significantly improved mean survival. Cargo-less particles affect multiple biological pathways involved in the development of inflammatory responses by innate immune cells and represent a potentially promising therapeutic strategy to treat severe inflammation.

A comparative study of the effects of vitamin C, sirolimus, and paclitaxel on the growth of endothelial and smooth muscle cells for cardiovascular medical device applications.

Antiproliferative drugs such as sirolimus (SIR) and paclitaxel (PAT) are currently released from stents and vascular grafts to inhibit the growth of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), thereby preventing neointimal hyperplasia. However, these drugs delay or impair the growth of endothelial cells (ECs) on implant surfaces causing late thrombosis. Hence, there is a need to use alternative drugs in these implants to encourage the growth of ECs and to inhibit the growth of SMCs. Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid [L-AA]) is one such drug which has been shown to encourage EC growth and inhibit SMC growth when orally administered or added directly to the cell cultures. In this research, four sets of in vitro cell culture experiments were carried out to compare the effects of L-AA, SIR, and PAT on the growth of ECs and SMCs under similar conditions, and to compare the effects of different doses of L-AA to determine the optimal dose for promoting maximum EC growth and inhibiting SMC growth. The ECs and SMCs treated with different drugs were characterized for their viability and proliferation, and morphology using the quantitative resazurin assay (as well as qualitative fluorescence microscopy characterization) and phase contrast microscopy, respectively, for up to 7 days. Also, the phenotype of ECs was characterized using immunofluorescence microscopy. Both SIR and PAT significantly inhibited the EC growth while L-AA significantly encouraged EC growth even more than that of the controls with no drugs. Also, L-AA significantly inhibited SMC growth although the inhibitory effect was inferior to that of SIR and PAT. The L-AA dosage study demonstrated that 100 µg and 300 µg of L-AA showed maximum EC growth after 7 days when compared to other dosages (1 µg, 500 µg, and 1000 µg) of L-AA and controls investigated in this study. Also, the 100 µg and 300 µg L-AA doses significantly inhibited the SMC growth. Thus, this study demonstrates that L-AA is a promising drug for potential use in stents and vascular grafts, to promote their endothelialization and inhibit neointimal hyperplasia.

Microrough cobalt-chromium alloy surfaces for paclitaxel delivery: preparation, characterization, and in vitro drug release studies.

Cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloys have extensive biomedical applications including drug-eluting stents (DES). This study investigates the use of eight different microrough Co-Cr alloy surfaces for delivering paclitaxel (PAT) for potential use in DES. The eight different surfaces include four bare microrough and four self-assembled monolayer (SAM) coated microrough surfaces. The bare microrough surfaces were prepared by grit blasting Co-Cr with glass beads (50 and 100 µm in size) and Al(2)O(3) (50 and 110 µm). The SAM coated surfaces were prepared by depositing a -COOH terminated phosphonic acid monolayer on the different microrough surfaces. PAT was then deposited on all the bare and SAM coated microrough surfaces. The surfaces were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 3D optical profilometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SEM showed the different morphologies of microrough surfaces without and with PAT coating. An optical profiler showed the 3D topography of the different surfaces and the changes in surface roughness and surface area after SAM and PAT deposition. FTIR showed ordered SAMs were formed on glass bead grit blasted surfaces, while the molecules were disordered on Al(2)O(3) grit blasted surfaces. Also, FTIR showed the successful deposition of PAT on these surfaces. The PAT release was investigated for up to two weeks using high performance liquid chromatography. Al(2)O(3) grit blasted bare microrough surfaces showed sustained release profiles, while the glass bead grit blasted surfaces showed burst release profiles. All SAM coated surfaces showed biphasic drug release profiles, which is an initial burst release followed by a slow and sustained release. SAM coated Al(2)O(3) grit blasted surfaces prolonged the sustained release of PAT in a significant amount during the second week of drug elution studies, while this behavior was not observed for any other surfaces used in this study. Thus, this study demonstrates the use of different microrough Co-Cr alloy surfaces for delivering PAT for potential applications in DES and other medical devices.

Transfection activity of layer-by-layer plasmid DNA/poly(ethylenimine) films deposited on PLGA microparticles.

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assemblies of DNA and polycations on the surface of colloidal templates can be used for gene delivery. Plasmid DNA encoding for secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) was used to deposit LbL films with poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) on the surface of polystyrene and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles. The formation of LBL films was confirmed by zeta potential analysis and fluorescence and atomic force microscopy techniques. The LbL particles were rapidly internalized in a dose-dependent manner by J774.1 murine macrophages. Transfection activity of the LbL particles was evaluated in J774.1 cells using three different doses (5, 10, 25 particle per cell). The levels of SEAP expression increased with increasing dose but were lower than transfection levels mediated by control PEI/DNA polyplexes at corresponding DNA doses. The LbL particles reported here present a promising platform for delivery of DNA to phagocytic cells.