A. Vila

Design of biodegradable particles for protein delivery.

Major research issues in protein delivery include the stabilization of proteins in delivery devices and the design of appropriate protein carriers in order to overcome mucosal barriers. We have attempted to combine both issues through the conception of new biodegradable polymer nanoparticles: (i) poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-coated poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles, chitosan (CS)-coated poly(lactic acid-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles and chitosan (CS) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have been tested for their ability to load proteins, to deliver them in an active form, and to transport them across the nasal and intestinal mucosae. Additionally, the stability of some of these nanoparticles in simulated physiological fluids has been studied. Results showed that the PEG coating improves the stability of PLA nanoparticles in the gastrointestinal fluids and helps the transport of the encapsulated protein, tetanus toxoid, across the intestinal and nasal mucosae. Furthermore, intranasal administration of these nanoparticles provided high and long-lasting immune responses. On the other hand, the coating of PLGA nanoparticles with the mucoadhesive polymer CS improved the stability of the particles in the presence of lysozyme and enhanced the nasal transport of the encapsulated tetanus toxoid. Finally, nanoparticles made solely of CS were also stable upon incubation with lysozyme. Moreover, these particles were very efficient in improving the nasal absorption of insulin as well as the local and systemic immune responses to tetanus toxoid, following intranasal administration. In summary, these results show that a rational modification in the composition and structure of the nanoparticles, using safe materials, increases the prospects of their usefulness for mucosal protein delivery and transport.

The role of PEG on the stability in digestive fluids and in vivo fate of PEG-PLA nanoparticles following oral administration

The aim of the present work was to evaluate if the presence of a polyethylenglycol (PEG) coating around PLA nanoparticles would affect their interaction with biological surfaces, following oral administration to rats. For this purpose, a model antigen, 125I-radiolabeled tetanus toxoid, was encapsulated in PLA and PLA-PEG nanoparticles by a modified water-in-oil-in-water solvent evaporation technique. Firstly, the stability of the nanoparticles in simulated gastrointestinal fluids was evaluated. Results showed an interaction between the nanoparticles and the enzymes of the digestive fluids, this interaction being considerably reduced by the PEG coating around the particles. On the other hand, the PLA forming the nanoparticles was found to be only slightly degraded (9% converted to lactate for PLA nanoparticles and 3% for PLA-PEG nanoparticles) and that the encapsulated tetanus toxoid remained mostly associated to the nanoparticles upon incubation in the digestive fluids for up to 4 h. Finally, the in vivo experiments showed that, after oral administration to rats, the levels of encapsulated radioactive antigen in the blood stream and lymphatics were higher for PLA-PEG nanoparticles than for PLA nanoparticles. In conclusion, the PLA-PEG nanoparticles have a promising future as protein delivery systems for oral administration.

PEG-PLA nanoparticles as carriers for nasal vaccine delivery

This report presents an overview of the potential of nanoparticles as nasal carriers for drug/vaccine administration. In addition, this report shows, for the first time, the efficacy of polylactic acid nanoparticles coated with a hydrophilic polyethyleneglycol coating (PEG-PLA nanoparticles) as carriers for the nasal transport of bioactive compounds. For this purpose, tetanus toxoid (TT), a high molecular weight protein (Mw 150,000 Da), was chosen as a model antigen and encapsulated in the PEG-PLA nano- and microparticles (200 nm and 1.5 microm respectively). These nanosystems were first characterized for their stability in the presence of lysozyme and also for their size, electrical charge, loading efficiency, in vitro release of antigenically active toxoid and afterwards, these formulations were administered intranasally to mice and the systemic and mucosal anti-tetanus responses were evaluated for up to 24 weeks. Additionally, PEG-PLA particles labeled with rhodamine 6G were administered intranasally to rats in order to visualize their interaction with the nasal mucosae by fluorescence microscopy. Their behavior was compared with that of the well known PLA nanoparticles (200 nm). The results showed that PLA nanoparticles suffered an immediate aggregation upon incubation with lysozyme, whereas the PEG-coated nanoparticles remained totally stable. The antibody levels elicited following i.n. administration of PEG-coated nanoparticles were significantly higher than those corresponding to PLA nanoparticles. Furthermore, PEG-PLA nanoparticles generated an increasing and a long lasting response. The qualitative fluorescence microscopy studies revealed that PEG-PLA particles are able to cross the rat nasal epithelium. These studies indicate that the PEG coating around the particles has a role in stabilizing PLA particles in mucosal fluids and that it facilitates the transport of the nanoencapsulated antigen, hence eliciting a high and long lasting immune response.