Polyethylenimines for RNAi-mediated gene targeting in vivo and siRNA delivery to the lung

RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising strategy to inhibit the expression of pathologically relevant genes, which show aberrant (over-)expression, e.g. in tumors or other pathologies. The induction of RNAi relies on small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which trigger the specific mRNA degradation. Their instability and poor delivery into target tissues including the lung, however, so far severely limits the therapeutic use of siRNAs and requires the development of nanoscale delivery systems. Polyethylenimines (PEIs) are synthetic polymers, which are able to form non-covalent complexes with siRNAs. These nanoscale complexes (’nanoplexes’) allow the protection of siRNAs from nucleolytic degradation, their efficient cellular uptake through endocytosis and intracellular release through the ’proton sponge effect’. Chemical modifications of PEIs as well as the coupling of cell/tissue-specific ligands are promising approaches to increase the biocompatibility, specificity and efficacy of PEI-based nanoparticles.This review article gives a comprehensive overview of pre-clinical in vivo studies on the PEI-mediated delivery of therapeutic siRNAs in various animal models. It discusses the chemical properties of PEIs and PEI modifications, and their influences on siRNA knockdown efficacy, on adverse effects of the polymer or the nanoplex and on siRNA biodistribution in vivo. Beyond systemic application, PEI-based complexation allows the local siRNA application to the lung. Biodistribution studies demonstrate cellular uptake of PEI-complexed, but not of naked siRNAs in the lung with little systemic availability of the siRNAs, indicating the usefulness of this approach for the targeting of genes, which are pathologically relevant in lung tumors or lung metastases.Taken together, (i) PEI and PEI derivatives may represent an efficient delivery platform for siRNAs, (ii) siRNA-mediated induction of RNAi is a promising approach for the knockdown of pathologically relevant genes, and (iii) when sufficiently addressing biocompatibility issues, the locoregional delivery of PEI/siRNA complexes may become an attractive therapeutic strategy for the treatment of lung diseases with little systemic side effects.     

Elucidating the molecular mechanism of PAMAM-siRNA dendriplex self-assembly: effect of dendrimer charge density

Dendrimers are attractive vehicles for nucleic acid delivery due to monodispersity and ease of chemical design. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the self-assembly process between small interfering RNA (siRNA) and different generation poly(amidoamine) dendrimers and to characterize the resulting structures. The generation 4 (G4) and G7 displayed equal efficiencies for dendriplex aggregate formation, whereas G1 lacked this ability. Nanoparticle tracking analysis and dynamic light scattering showed reduced average size and increased polydispersity at higher dendrimer concentration. The nanoparticle tracking analysis indicated that electrostatic complexation results in an equilibrium between differently sized complex aggregates, where the centre of mass depends on the siRNA:dendrimer ratio. Isothermal titration calorimetric data suggested a simple binding for G1, whereas a biphasic binding was evident for G4 and G7 with an initial exothermic binding and a secondary endothermic formation of larger dendriplex aggregates, followed by agglomeration. The initial binding became increasingly exothermic as the generation increased, and the values were closely predicted by molecular dynamics simulations, which also demonstrated a generation dependent differences in the entropy of binding. The flexible G1 displayed the highest entropic penalty followed by the rigid G7, making the intermediate G4 the most suitable for dendriplex formation, showing favorable charge density for siRNA binding.     

小干扰RNA的靶向运送体系

靶向运送是小干扰RNA(siRNA)药物进入临床应用最关键的环节。研究人员利用配体、抗体和适配子构建了非常有效的靶向特异性细胞组织的siRNA运送体系。制备运送体系分3步:先使脂质体或多聚物与siRNA自发结合形成微粒,利用聚乙二醇等作为桥接分子包被在微粒外层,最后将配体、抗体或适配子等靶向性分子与桥接分子连接。     

Biophysical and Structural Characterization of Polyethylenimine-Mediated siRNA Delivery in Vitro

Purpose The goals of this study were as follows: 1) to evaluate the efficacy of different polyethylenimine (PEI) structures for siRNA delivery in a model system, and 2) to determine the biophysical and structural characteristics of PEI that relate to siRNA delivery.Materials and Methods Biophysical characterization (effective diameter and zeta potential), cytotoxicities, relative binding affinities and in vitro transfection efficiencies were determined using nanocomplexes formed from PEI's of 800, 25,000, (both branched) and 22,000 (linear) molecular weights at varying N:P ratios and siRNA concentrations. The HR5-CL11 cell line stably expressing luciferase was used as a model system in vitro.Results Successful siRNA delivery was observed within a very narrow window of conditions, and only with the 25,000 branched PEI at an N:P ratio of 6:1 and 8:1 and with 200 nM siRNA. While the zeta potential and size of PEI:siRNA complexes correlated to transfection efficacy in some cases, complex stability may also affect transfection efficacy.Conclusions The ability of PEI to transfer functionally active siRNA to cells in culture is surprisingly dependent on its biophysical and structural characteristics when compared to its relative success and ease of use for DNA delivery.     

High loading efficiency and sustained release of siRNA encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles: Quality by design optimization and characterization

Poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide acid) (PLGA) is an attractive polymer for delivery of biopharmaceuticals owing to its biocompatibility, biodegradability and outstanding controlled release characteristics. The purpose of this study was to understand and define optimal parameters for preparation of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-loaded PLGA nanoparticles by the double emulsion solvent evaporation method and characterize their properties. The experiments were performed according to a 2⁵⁻¹ fractional factorial design based on five independent variables: The volume ratio between the inner water phase and the oil phase, the PLGA concentration, the sonication time, the siRNA load and the amount of acetylated bovine serum albumin (Ac-BSA) in the inner water phase added to stabilize the primary emulsion. The effects on the siRNA encapsulation efficiency and the particle size were investigated. The most important factors for obtaining an encapsulation efficiency as high as 70% were the PLGA concentration and the volume ratio whereas the size was mainly affected by the PLGA concentration. The viscosity of the oil phase was increased at high PLGA concentration, which explains the improved encapsulation by stabilization of the primary emulsion and reduction of siRNA leakage to the outer water phase. Addition of Ac-BSA increased the encapsulation efficiency at low PLGA concentrations. The PLGA matrix protected siRNA against nuclease degradation, provided a burst release of surface-localized siRNA followed by a triphasic sustained release for two months. These results enable careful understanding and definition of optimal process parameters for preparation of PLGA nanoparticles encapsulating high amounts of siRNA with immediate and long-term sustained release properties.     

Efficient siRNA Delivery with Non-viral Polymeric Vehicles

Sequence-specific gene silencing using small interfering RNA (siRNA) provides a potent and specific method for gene expression, thus is now being evaluated in clinical trials as a novel therapeutic strategy. As a results, there has been a significant surge of interest in the application of siRNA in therapeutics as a means of silencing the specific gene function. However, for siRNA technology to be valuable and effective, the development of efficient siRNA delivery strategy is essential for improving biological activities such as stability, cellular uptake, sequence-specificity, devoid of nonspecific knockdown and toxic side effects. Accordingly, a number of delivery systems, both viral and nonviral, have been reported and some of them successfully used for the introduction of siRNA into cells both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we discuss the current understanding of synthetic siRNA delivery mechanism and strategies of siRNA delivery by non-viral polymeric vehicles which are currently used in vitro and in vivo.     

siRNA作为基因治疗药物的研究难题

RNA干扰（RNAi）现象的发现与研究，为基因治疗带来新的契机，虽然小干扰RNA（siRNA）较单链反义寡核苷酸显示了更好的稳定性与基因沉默效果，但却同样面临基因治疗药物存在的共同问题，如体内的靶向性与有效性、完善的定量分析方法等等。因此，siRNA作为治疗药物还有诸多困难需要克服。目前的研究主要集中在：修饰方式与递送系统研究，以提高siRNA体内的稳定性与靶向性；siRNA定量分析方法学研究，以考察其体内药动学行为并进一步阐明其体内作用机制。     

Photolabile-caged peptide-conjugated liposomes for siRNA delivery

Light is an ideal general triggered signal, which occurs as a result of its non-invasive nature, desirable controllability and high spatial resolution. However, due to its low penetrability and ability to harm tissues, the use of ultraviolet (UV) light for triggered nanocarrier release in in vivo applications has been limited. Compared with UV light, near-infrared (NIR) light deeply penetrates tissues and is less damaging to cells. In this study, we have devised and tested a strategy for site-specific delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) into cancer cells by using liposomes bearing a photolabile-caged peptide (PCP). The positive charges of the lysine residues on the cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) were temporarily caged by the NIR two-photon excitation-responsive protective groups (PG), thereby forming a PCP. Once illuminated by NIR light at tumor tissues, these PGs were cleaved; the positively charged CPP regained its activity and facilitated rapid intracellular delivery of the liposomes into cancer cells. The PCP was connected with 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine via a polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacer to prepare the modified liposomes (PCP-LP). Subsequent research demonstrated that the application of the PCP modifications may provide an approach for the selectively targeted delivery of siRNA.     

Chemo-biologic combinatorial drug delivery using folate receptor-targeted dendrimer nanoparticles for lung cancer treatment

Co-administration of functionally distinct anti-cancer agents has emerged as an efficient strategy in lung cancer treatment. However, a specially designed drug delivery system is required to co-encapsulate functionally different agents, such as a combination of siRNA and chemotherapy, for targeted delivery. We developed a folic acid (FA)-conjugated polyamidoamine dendrimer (Den)-based nanoparticle (NP) system for co-delivery of siRNA against HuR mRNA (HuR siRNA) and cis-diamine platinum (CDDP) to folate receptor-α (FRA) -overexpressing H1299 lung cancer cells. The co-delivery of HuR siRNA and CDDP using the FRA-targeted NP had a significantly greater therapeutic effect than did individual therapeutics. Further, the FRA-targeted NP exhibited improved cytotoxicity compared to non-targeted NP against lung cancer cells. Finally, the NP showed negligible toxicity towards normal MRC9 lung fibroblast cells. Thus, the present study demonstrates FRA-targeted Den nanoparticle system as a suitable carrier for targeted co-delivery of siRNA and chemotherapy agents in lung cancer cells.     

ICS-283: a system for targeted intravenous delivery of siRNA

ICS-283 was developed within Intradigm Corporation as a system that is designed for the systemic delivery of therapeutic small interfering (siRNA) to sites of pathological angiogenesis. The non-viral siRNA delivery system is based on synthetic nanoparticles, known as TargeTran? (Intradigm Corporation), which functions as a broad-platform technology to deliver siRNA to specific target cells in diseased tissues. The system is constructed to incorporate different functionalities that address critical needs for successful nucleic acid delivery. The TargeTran synthetic vector is a self-assembling, layered nanoparticle that protects and targets siRNA to specific cell types in pathological tissues. At present, ICS-283 is the only antiangiogenic siRNA delivery system that is designed for intravenous administration to treat angiogenesis-driven diseases.     

脂质胶束介导VEGF基因对称和不对称siRNA的抑瘤效果

目的:探讨脂质胶束递送靶向VEGF基因的对称siRNA和不对称siRNA(asiRNA)的抑瘤效果。方法:通过RNA电泳等方法,筛选不同组分比例的脂质胶束,用Western blot、细胞板计数法、CCK-8实验检测对乳腺癌MCF-7细胞活力的影响。构建H22肝癌荷瘤小鼠模型,随机分为不同实验组,连续14天尾静脉注射给药,计算抑瘤率和小鼠生存率。结果:在4组不同RNA干扰片段中,asiRNA21/23组抑制VEGF蛋白表达效果最好。在H22荷瘤小鼠实验中,asiRNA21/23组显示了明显的抑瘤效果,且延长了荷瘤小鼠的生存期。结论:脂质胶束递送VEGF-asiRNA21/23降低了MCF-7细胞中VEGF基因的表达,且具有明显的肿瘤抑制效果。     

Strategies for tumor-directed delivery of siRNA

Introduction: Current treatment of malignant tumors relies predominantly on chemotherapy delivering a single antineoplastic drug or a combination of two or more drugs intravenously. Problems with such treatments can include the killing of healthy cells, adverse side effects and chemoresistance. As cancer basically results from different types of mutation leading to the overexpression or suppression of the signaling cascades responsible for cancer cell survival and proliferation, tailor-made approaches capable of interfering precisely with those pathways are the potential revolutionary tools that could pave the way for highly effective cancer therapy.

Areas covered: This review summarizes recent progress in the identification and validation of the target genes for cancer gene therapy using small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology and, more importantly, the delivery strategies that have been designed and implemented for tumor-directed delivery of siRNAs.

Expert opinion: Cancer-targeted delivery of a gene in order to produce a particular protein (such as a tumor-suppressor or a nucleic acid sequence that can silence the expression of a specific gene, such as an oncogene or an antiapoptotic gene) is the most promising concept for cancer treatment in the future. siRNA has the ability to recognize and cleave a specific mRNA, thus inhibiting the expression of a particular protein. The success of targeted gene silencing as a potential cancer therapeutic demands the development of more effective delivery devices and the removal of siRNA off-target effects.     

The efficiency of lipid nanoparticles with an original cationic lipid as a siRNA delivery system for macrophages and dendritic cells

Small interfering of RNA (siRNA) technology has the potential to be a next-generation therapy. However, naked siRNA does not have high transfection efficiency and is rapidly degraded after systemic injection, so an appropriate drug delivery system (DDS) is required for clinical use. Several potential systems have been assessed, clinically focusing on hepatocyte or cancer tissue using siRNA. However, targeting immune cells using siRNA is still challenging, and a new DDS is required. In this study, we prepared lipid nanoparticles (LNP) composed of original cationic lipid, neutral lipid of DOPE (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine) and PEG2000-DMPE (N-(carbonyl-methoxypolyethyleneglycol 2000)-1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine, sodium salt). Our LNP encapsulating siRNA (LNP/siRNA) exerted a knock-down (KD) effect on mouse inflammatory peritoneal macrophages in vitro. In addition, an in vivo KD effect by systemic administration of LNP/siRNA was observed in macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) in mice. Furthermore, our LNP/siRNA showed in vitro KD effects not only on murine cells but also on human cells like monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and monocyte-derived DCs (MDDCs). These results indicate the potential utility of our LNP for siRNA-based therapy targeting macrophages and DCs. Because these cells are known to have a significant role in several kinds of diseases, and siRNA can specifically suppress target genes that are closely associated with disease states and are untreatable by small molecules or antibodies. Therefore, delivering siRNA by our LNP to macrophages and DCs could provide novel therapies.     

Synthesis and characterization of mannosylated pegylated polyethylenimine as a carrier for siRNA

Regulation of gene expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a promising strategy for research and treatment of numerous diseases. In this study, we develop and characterize a delivery system for siRNA composed of polyethylenimine (PEI), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and mannose (Man). Cationic PEI complexes and compacts siRNA, PEG forms a hydrophilic layer outside of the polyplex for steric stabilization, and mannose serves as a cell binding ligand for macrophages. The PEI-PEG-mannose delivery system was constructed in two different ways. In the first approach, mannose and PEG chains are directly conjugated to the PEI backbone. In the second approach, mannose is conjugated to one end of the PEG chain and the other end of the PEG chain is conjugated to the PEI backbone. The PEI-PEG-mannose delivery systems were synthesized with 3.45-13.3 PEG chains and 4.7-3.0 mannose molecules per PEI. The PEI-PEG-Man-siRNA polyplexes displayed a coarse surface in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. Polyplex sizes were found to range from 169 to 357 nm. Gel retardation assays showed that the PEI-PEG-mannose polymers are able to efficiently complex with siRNA at low N/P ratios. Confocal microscope images showed that the PEI-PEG-Man-siRNA polyplexes could enter cells and localized in the lysosomes at 2h post-incubation. Pegylation of the PEI reduced toxicity without any adverse reduction in knockdown efficiency relative to PEI alone. Mannosylation of the PEI-PEG could be carried out without any significant reduction in knockdown efficiency relative to PEI alone. Conjugating mannose to PEI via the PEG spacer generated superior toxicity and gene knockdown activity relative to conjugating mannose and PEG directly onto the PEI backbone.     

Bcl-2 siRNA induced apoptosis and increased sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and HCPT in HepG2 cells

To investigate the changes in drug sensitivity of Bcl-2 siRNA transfected HepG2 cells. Bcl-2 siRNA and negative siRNA expression vector were constructed and stably transfected into HepG2 cells. RT-PCR and Immunofluorescence were used to detect the target gene expression. Western Blotting was used to detect Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 protein expressiom. Drug sensitivity of the cells to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) were analyzed with MTT and flow cytometry. Results were following: (1) the mRNA and protein expression level of Bcl-2 in Bcl-2 siRNA stable transfectants were reduced compared with negative siRNA transfected or untreated cells. Accordingly, Bax protein expression had no change and caspase-3 protein expression showed significantly be up regulated; (2) MTT results showed that Bcl-2 siRNA transfectants had higher cell inhibitory rates after treated with 5-FU or HCPT; (3) flow cytometry results demonstrated that sub G1 population increased in Bcl-2 siRNA transfected cells compared with negative siRNA or untreated cells. After addition 5-FU (1300 mg/l) and HCPT (0.72 mg/l), Bcl-2 siRNA cells showed higher sub G1 population than negative siRNA or untreated cells. siRNA targeting Bcl-2 gene can specifically down-regulate Bcl-2 expression, increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio expression and caspase-3 activity in HepG2 cells, which lead to increase cells spontaneous apoptosis and sensitize cells to 5-FU or HCPT. Bcl-2 siRNA may be a potential therapy agent against human hepatoblastoma.     

癌症治疗中小干扰RNA治疗方法及载体的研究概况

癌症是当前危害人类健康的主要疾病之一。采用传统的手术、化疗等治疗手段无法完全根除或杀死肿瘤细胞,且易发生转移和复发等现象。由于小干扰RNA（siRNA）介导的基因沉默技术可通过破坏目的蛋白mRNA的完整性,达到抑制疾病相关基因表达的作用;且siRNA因其高效性、特异性特点以及作为基因药物的巨大潜力,备受研究者的青睐。本文就小干扰RNA技术的作用机制、小干扰RNA药物传递系统及其在抗肿瘤领域的相关应用进行综述。     

Noninvasive imaging of c(RGD)2‐9R as a potential delivery carrier for transfection of siRNA in malignant tumors

The purpose of our study was to develop and evaluate a novel integrin α_vβ₃‐specific delivery carrier for transfection of siRNA in malignant tumors. We adopted arginine‐glycine‐aspartate (RGD) motif as a tissue target for specific recognition of integrin α_νβ₃. A chimaeric peptide was synthesized by adding nonamer arginine residues (9‐arginine [9R]) at the carboxy terminus of cyclic‐RGD dimer, designated as c(RGD)₂‐9R, to enable small interfering RNA (siRNA) binding. To test the applicability of the delivery carrier in vivo, c(RGD)₂‐9R was labeled with radionuclide of technetium‐99m. Biodistribution and γ‐camera imaging studies were performed in HepG2 xenograft‐bearing nude mice. As results, an optimal 10:1 molar ratio of ^99mTc‐c(RGD)₂‐9R to siRNA was indicated by the electrophoresis on agarose gels. ^99mTc‐c(RGD)₂‐9R/siRNA remained stable under a set of conditions in vitro. For in vivo study, tumor radioactivity uptake of ^99mTc‐c(RGD)₂‐9R/siRNA in nude mice bearing HepG2 xenografts was significantly higher than that of control probe (P  < .05). The xenografts were clearly visualized at 4 hours till 6 hours noninvasively after intravenous injection of ^99mTc‐c(RGD)₂‐9R/siRNA, while the xenografts were not visualized at any time after injection of control probe. It was concluded that c(RGD)₂‐9R could be an effective siRNA delivery carrier. Technetium‐99m radiolabeled‐delivery carrier represents a potential imaging strategy for RNAi‐based therapy.     

Acid-cleavable ketal containing poly(β-amino ester) for enhanced siRNA delivery

The safe and effective intracellular delivery of nucleic acids remains the most challenging obstacle to the broad application of gene therapy in clinic. Endosomal escape of nucleic acids is also a major barrier for efficient gene delivery. Ketal linkage is known to readily cleave at the acidic pH of endosomal compartments. Here, we report ketal containing poly(β-amino ester) (KPAE) as an acid-cleavable non-viral siRNA delivery system. KPAE efficiently condensed siRNA into nanocomplexes with a diameter of ∼150 nm, which are stable under neutral conditions but rapidly dissociate to release siRNA at acidic pH. KPAE had a buffering capacity due to the presence of secondary amines in its backbone, confirmed by acid–base titration. Moreover, the studies of confocal fluorescence imaging using calcein and LysoTracker Red revealed that KPAE disrupted endosomes by colloid osmotic mechanism and “proton sponge” effects. Cell culture studies demonstrated that KPAE can deliver tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) siRNA to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages and significantly inhibit the expression of TNF-α. The results demonstrate that acid-cleavable KPAE has great potential as gene delivery systems based on its excellent biocompatibility, pH sensitivity and high gene delivery efficiency.     

The αv integrin antagonists as novel anticancer agents: an update

Integrins are involved in many cellular processes, including some pathological ones associated with various cancers, both solid tumours and metastases. Since integrins are involved in such critical processes as gene expression, which lead to cellular proliferation, migration, survival and angiogenesis, they represent potential targets for therapeutic intervention. The α_vβ₃ integrin is one of the most widely studied integrins because it is one of the most promiscuous. Published studies provide compelling evidence that small molecule antagonists have the potential to treat both solid tumours and metastases, serve as diagnostic imaging agents and be used for site-directed delivery of drugs to solid tumours. The α_vβ₃ integrin antagonists also inhibit blood vessel formation associated with tumour growth. Therapeutic candidates have included antibodies, cyclic peptides, peptidomimetics and small molecules. A number of potent small-molecule antagonists of the α_vβ₃ integrin have now been identified and are progressing in the clinic. This review focuses on the role of α_vβ₃ in cancer. The rationale for the development of the therapeutic and diagnostic candidates based on the key role of α_vβ₃ is discussed.