Potential of Ni(II)-NTA-modified poly(ethylene imine) glycopolymers as carrier system for future dendritic cell-based immunotherapy.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in the development of cell-mediated immunotherapy due to their ability to induce and maintain strong immune responses. In our study, we evaluated a biocompatible Ni(II)-NTA-modified poly(ethylene imine) dendritic glycopolymer (Ni(II)-NTA-DG) as new carrier system to increase the antigen uptake into iDCs for future DC-based immunotherapy. Ni(II)-NTA-DG led to an increase in His6-Gp160 uptake in monocytes and iDCs, where His6-Gp160 is localized in the early endosomal and lysosomal compartments. Ni(II)-NTA-DG and the formed polyplexes induced an activation of iDCs, showing an increasing expression of costimulatory molecules CD86, CD80, and proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8. Beside no influencing effect of Ni(II)-NTA-DG and polyplexes on the maturation of antigen-bearing DCs, the mature peptide bearing DCs remained their ability to migrate along a gradient of CCR7 ligands. Thus, Ni(II)-NTA-DG with advancing biological properties is a promising carrier system for the future application in DC-based immunotherapy.