Hélène Freichels

Targeting of tumor endothelium by RGD-grafted PLGA-nanoparticles loaded with Paclitaxel

Paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded PEGylated PLGA-based nanoparticles (NP) have been previously described as more effective in vitro and in vivo than taxol. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that our PEGylated PLGA-based nanoparticles grafted with the RGD peptide or RGD-peptidomimetic (RGDp) would target the tumor endothelium and would further enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of PTX. The ligands were grafted on the PEG chain of PCL-b-PEG included in the nanoparticles. We observed in vitro that RGD-grafted nanoparticles were more associated to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) by binding to alpha(v)beta(3) integrin than non-targeted nanoparticles. Doxorubicin was also used to confirm the findings observed for PTX. In vivo, we demonstrated the targeting of RGD and RGDp-grafted nanoparticles to tumor vessels as well as the effective retardation of TLT tumor growth and prolonged survival times of mice treated by PTX-loaded RGD-nanoparticles when compared to non-targeted nanoparticles. Hence, the targeting of anti-cancer drug to tumor endothelium by RGD-labeled NP is a promising approach.

Targeting nanoparticles to M cells with non-peptidic ligands for oral vaccination

The presence of RGD on nanoparticles allows the targeting of beta1 integrins at the apical surface of human M cells and the enhancement of an immune response after oral immunization. To check the hypothesis that non-peptidic ligands targeting intestinal M cells or APCs would be more efficient for oral immunization than RGD, novel non-peptidic and peptidic analogs (RGD peptidomimitic (RGDp), LDV derivative (LDVd) and LDV peptidomimetic (LDVp)) as well as mannose were grafted on the PEG chain of PCL-PEG and incorporated in PLGA-based nanoparticles. RGD and RGDp significantly increased the transport of nanoparticles across an in vitro model of human M cells as compared to enterocytes. RGD, LDVp, LDVd and mannose enhanced nanoparticle uptake by macrophages in vitro. The intraduodenal immunization with RGDp-, LDVd- or mannose-labeled nanoparticles elicited a higher production of IgG antibodies than the intramuscular injection of free ovalbumin or intraduodenal administration of either non-targeted or RGD-nanoparticles. Targeted formulations were also able to induce a cellular immune response. In conclusion, the in vitro transport of nanoparticles, uptake by macrophages and the immune response were positively influenced by the presence of ligands at the surface of nanoparticles. These targeted-nanoparticles could thus represent a promising delivery system for oral immunization.

Polyester nanoparticles presenting mannose residues: toward the development of new vaccine delivery systems combining biodegradability and targeting properties.

We report the synthesis of fully biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles presenting mannose residues at their surface and their interaction with lectins. A simple and versatile method was used to reach the surface functionalization of poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PLA) nanoparticles by mannose moieties: It consists in using an amphiphilic mannosylated poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(E-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL) diblock copolymer as a bioresorbable surface modifier in a simple nanoprecipitation-evaporation procedure. The size and zeta potential of the nanoparticles were found to depend on the molar copolymer/PLA ratio, demonstrating the influence of the copolymer on the formation of the nanoparticles. The bioavailability of the mannose residues as specific recognition sites on the nanoparticle surface could be demonstrated by a modified enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA) using biotin-labeled lectins which interact specifically with alpha-D-mannopyrannoside derivatives. Besides specific interaction by lectin-mannose complex formation, nonspecific adsorption of the proteins on the nanoparticle surface was observed. These results were fully supported by isothermal titration calorimetry experiments which suggested that the balance between specific and nonspecific interactions can be controlled by the amount of glycosylated polymer used for the preparation of the nanoparticles. Such nanoparticles are expected to be specifically recognized by mannose receptors, which are highly expressed in cells of the immune system. The targeting properties of these carrier systems combined with their potential adjuvant effects due to their size in the range of 200-300 nm make them attractive candidates as vaccine delivery systems.

Synthesis of Poly(lactide-co-glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone)-graft-mannosylated Poly(ethylene oxide) Copolymers by Combination of “Clip” and “Click” Chemistries

Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) is extensively used in pharmaceutical applications, for example, in targeted drug delivery, because of biocompatibility and degradation rate, which is easily tuned by the copolymer composition. Nevertheless, synthesis of sugar-labeled amphiphilic copolymers with a PLGA backbone is quite a challenge because of high sensitivity to hydrolytic degradation. This Article reports on the synthesis of a new amphiphilic copolymer of PLGA grafted by mannosylated poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). A novel building block, that is, α-methoxy-ω-alkyne PEO-clip-N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester, was prepared on purpose by photoreaction of a diazirine containing molecular clip. This PEO block was mannosylated by reaction of the NHS ester groups with an aminated sugar, that is, 2-aminoethyl-α-d-mannopyroside. Then, the alkyne ω-end-group of PEO was involved in a copper alkyne- azide coupling (CuAAC) with the pendent azides of the aliphatic copolyester. The targeted mannose-labeled poly(lactide-co-glycolide-co-ε-caprolactone)-graft-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymer was accordingly formed. Copolymerization of d,l-lactide and glycolide with α-chloro-ε-caprolactone, followed by substitution of chlorides by azides provided the azido-functional PLGA backbone. Finally, micelles of the amphiphilic mannosylated graft copolymer were prepared in water, and their interaction with Concanavalin A (ConA), a glyco-receptor protein, was studied by quartz crystal microbalance. This study concluded to the prospect of using this novel bioconjugate in targeted drug delivery.

In vitro identification of targeting-ligands of human M cells by Phage Display.

To improve transport of vaccine-loaded nanoparticles, the phage display technology was used to identify novel lead peptides targeting human M cells. Using an in vitro model of the human follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) which contains both Caco-2 and M cells, a T7 phage display library was screened for its ability either to bind the apical cell surface of or to undergo transcytosis across Caco-2 cells or FAE. The selection for transcytosis across both enterocytes and FAE identified three different peptide sequences (CTGKSC, PAVLG and LRVG) with high frequency. CTGKSC and LRVG sequences enhanced phage transport across M-like cells. When polymeric nanoparticles were grafted with the sequences CTGKSC and LRVG, their transport by FAE was significantly enhanced. These peptides could therefore be used to enhance the transport of vaccine-loaded nanoparticles across the intestinal mucosal barrier.

Fluorescent labeling of degradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) for cellular nanoparticles tracking in living cells

Fluorescent-labeled aliphatic polyesters are essential materials for in vitro and in vivo studies of the behavior of these biodegradable polymers in interaction with cells or in a body. In particular, the direct cellular localization of drug delivery systems based on these materials allows better understanding of the internalization mechanism and determination of the pharmacokinetics. Polylactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) is a rapidly degradable copolymer widely used in pharmaceutics and nanomedecine. It was prepared by ring-opening polymerization of lactide and glycolide in order to obtain a well-defined material to investigate conditions allowing the covalent linkage of a fluorescent dye (fluorescein) while preserving the macromolecular characteristics of the polymer. The success of the functionalization was ascertained by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and fluorescence spectroscopy.

A non-linear homogeneous model for bone-like materials under compressive load.

Finite element (FE) models accurately compute the mechanical response of bone and bone-like materials when the models include their detailed microstructure. In order to simulate non-linear behavior, which currently is only feasible at the expense of extremely high computational costs, coarser models can be used if the local morphology has been linked to the apparent mechanical behavior. The aim of this paper is to implement and validate such a constitutive law. This law is able to capture the non-linear structural behavior of bone-like materials through the use of fabric tensors. It also allows for irreversible strains using an elastoplastic material model incorporating hardening. These features are expressed in a constitutive law based on the anisotropic continuum damage theory coupled with isotropic elastoplasticity in a finite strain framework. This material model was implemented into metafor (LTAS-MNNL, University of Liège, Belgium), a non-linear FE software. The implementation was validated against experimental data of cylindrical samples subjected to compression. Three materials with bone-like microstructure were tested: aluminum foams of variable density (ERG, Oakland, CA, USA), polylactic acid foam (CERM, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium), and cancellous bone tissue of a deer antler (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium).