Antioxidant functionalized polymer capsules to prevent oxidative stress.

Polymeric capsules exhibit significant potential for therapeutic applications as microreactors, where the bio-chemical reactions of interest are efficiently performed in a spatial and time defined manner due to the encapsulation of an active biomolecule (e.g., enzyme) and control over the transfer of reagents and products through the capsular membrane. In this work, catalase loaded polymer capsules functionalized with an external layer of tannic acid (TA) are fabricated via a layer-by-layer approach using calcium carbonate as a sacrificial template. The capsules functionalised with TA exhibit a higher scavenging capacity for hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals, suggesting that the external layer of TA shows intrinsic antioxidant properties, and represents a valid strategy to increase the overall antioxidant potential of the developed capsules. Additionally, the hydrogen peroxide scavenging capacity of the capsules is enhanced in the presence of the encapsulated catalase. The capsules prevent oxidative stress in an in vitro inflammation model of degenerative disc disease. Moreover, the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif-5 (ADAMTS-5), which represents the major proteolytic enzymes in intervertebral disc, are attenuated in the presence of the polymer capsules. This platform technology exhibits potential to reduce oxidative stress, a key modulator in the pathology of a broad range of inflammatory diseases. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Oxidative stress damages important cell structures leading to cellular apoptosis and senescence, for numerous disease pathologies including cancer, neurodegeneration or osteoarthritis. Thus, the development of biomaterials-based systems to control oxidative stress has gained an increasing interest. Herein, polymer capsules loaded with catalase and functionalized with an external layer of tannic acid are fabricated, which can efficiently scavenge important reactive oxygen species (i.e., hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide) and modulate extracellular matrix activity in an in vitro inflammation model of nucleus pulposus. The present work represents accordingly, an important advance in the development and application of polymer capsules with antioxidant properties for the treatment of oxidative stress, which is applicable for multiple inflammatory disease targets.

Biopores/membrane proteins in synthetic polymer membranes.

BACKGROUND: Mimicking cell membranes by simple models based on the reconstitution of membrane proteins in lipid bilayers represents a straightforward approach to understand biological function of these proteins. This biomimetic strategy has been extended to synthetic membranes that have advantages in terms of chemical and mechanical stability, thus providing more robust hybrid membranes. SCOPE OF THE REVIEW: We present here how membrane proteins and biopores have been inserted both in the membrane of nanosized and microsized compartments, and in planar membranes under various conditions. Such bio-hybrid membranes have new properties (as for example, permeability to ions/molecules), and functionality depending on the specificity of the inserted biomolecules. Interestingly, membrane proteins can be functionally inserted in synthetic membranes provided these have appropriate properties to overcome the high hydrophobic mismatch between the size of the biomolecule and the membrane thickness. MAJOR CONCLUSION: Functional insertion of membrane proteins and biopores in synthetic membranes of compartments or in planar membranes is possible by an appropriate selection of the amphiphilic copolymers, and conditions of the self-assembly process. These hybrid membranes have new properties and functionality based on the specificity of the biomolecules and the nature of the synthetic membranes. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: Bio-hybrid membranes represent new solutions for the development of nanoreactors, artificial organelles or active surfaces/membranes that, by further gaining in complexity and functionality, will promote translational applications. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Lipid order/lipid defects and lipid-control of protein activity edited by Dirk Schneider.

Giant Host Red Blood Cell Membrane Mimicking Polymersomes Bind Parasite Proteins and Malaria Parasites.

Malaria is an infectious disease that needs to be addressed using innovative approaches to counteract spread of drug resistance and to establish or optimize vaccination strategies. With our approach, we aim for a dual action with drug- and 'vaccine-like' activity against malaria. By inhibiting entry of malaria parasites into host red blood cells (RBCs) - using polymer vesicle-based (polymersome) nanomimics of RBC membranes - the life cycle of the parasite is interrupted and the exposed parasites are accessible to the host immune system. Here, we describe how host cell-sized RBC membrane mimics, formed with the same block copolymers as nanomimics, also bind the corresponding malaria parasite ligand and whole malaria parasites, similar to nanomimics. This was demonstrated using fluorescence imaging techniques and confirms the suitability of giant polymersomes (GUVs) as simple mimics for RBC membranes.

Analysis of Molecular Parameters Determining the Antimalarial Activity of Polymer-Based Nanomimics.

Malaria and other infectious diseases are major global public health problems, which need to be tackled using new technologies to cope with the lack of efficacious vaccines and emerging drug resistance. A recently developed anti-infectious concept based on nanomimics tested with Plasmodium falciparum is analyzed for the molecular parameters determining its applicability. Nanomimics-nanoscaled polymer-based mimics of host cell membranes-are designed with a reduced number of surface-exposed malaria parasite receptor molecules (heparin), resulting in less potent invasion inhibition as determined in antimalarial assays. In contrast, when shorter receptor molecules are used to form nanomimics, more molecules are needed to obtain nanomimic potency similar to nanomimics with longer receptor molecules. The interaction of heparin on nanomimics with the processed Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1-42 (PfMSP142 ) have a high affinity, Kd = 12.1 ± 1.6 × 10-9 m, as measured by fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS). This detailed characterization of nanomimics and their molecular variants are an important step towards defining and optimizing possible nanomimic therapies for infectious diseases.