Ionizable Cationic Lipids Research Articles

Influence of cationic lipid composition on uptake and intracellular processing of lipid nanoparticle formulations of siRNA

The in vivo gene silencing potencies of lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-siRNA systems containing the ionizable cationic lipids DLinDAP, DLinDMA, DLinKDMA, or DLinKC2-DMA can differ by three orders of magnitude. In this study, we examine the uptake and intracellular processing of LNP-siRNA systems containing these cationic lipids in a macrophage cell-line in an attempt to understand the reasons for different potencies. Although uptake of LNP is not dramatically influenced by cationic lipid composition, subsequent processing events can be strongly dependent on cationic lipid species. In particular, the low potency of LNP containing DLinDAP can be attributed to hydrolysis by endogenous lipases following uptake. LNP containing DLinKC2-DMA, DLinKDMA, or DLinDMA, which lack ester linkages, are not vulnerable to lipase digestion and facilitate much more potent gene silencing. The superior potency of DLinKC2-DMA compared with DLinKDMA or DLinDMA can be attributed to higher uptake and improved ability to stimulate siRNA release from endosomes subsequent to uptake. From the Clinical EditorThis study reports on the in vivo gene silencing potency of lipid nanoparticle-siRNA systems containing ionizable cationic lipids. It is concluded that the superior potency of DLinKC2-DMA compared with DLinKDMA or DLinDMA can be attributed to their higher uptake thus improved ability to stimulate siRNA release from endosome.

Abstract 1970: Liposomal nanoparticle siRNA delivery systems for in vivo silencing of the androgen receptor in human prostate cancer

Abstract Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in men and one of the leading causes of cancer-death. While frequently curable by surgical or radiation ablation, recurrent or metastatic disease is usually managed with androgen withdrawal therapies (medical castration), which block the growth promoting effects of androgens on the androgen receptor (AR). Unfortunately, the cancers eventually progress to the lethal castration-resistant state. Previously, we reported that knocking down the AR by RNA interference using small hairpin RNA (shRNA) inhibits this progression and, in about 50% of tumours, causes complete regression. In this study, we investigated the ability of small interfering RNA (siRNA) encapsulated in lipid nanoparticle (LNP) to silence AR in human prostate cancer cell lines and xenograft tumours following intravenous injections. In vitro screening studies with prostate cancer cell lines using a panel of cationic lipids demonstrated that siRNA formulated in LNPs containing the ionizable cationic lipid 2,2-dilinoleyl-4-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-[1,3]-dioxolane (DLin-KC2-DMA) exhibited the most potent AR silencing effects. This is attributed to an optimized ability of DLin-KC2-DMA-containing LNP to enter into cells and to release the siRNA into the cell cytoplasm following endocytotic uptake. DLin-KC2-DMA LNPs were also effective in silencing the AR in a wild-type AR expressing cell line, LAPC-4, and a variant AR expressing cell line, CWR22Rv1. Importantly, we found that LNP AR-siRNA systems containing DLin-KC2-DMA could silence AR gene expression in distal LNCaP xenograft tumors and decrease serum PSA levels following intravenous injection. The 5′RACE experiments further confirmed that siRNA-induced specific cleavage of AR mRNA was the primary mechanism of action. In conclusion, these results indicate that in vivo delivery of siRNA to knockdown AR using our LNP formulations causes a decrease in serum PSA and provides proof in principle that this approach may offer a therapeutic strategy for treating advanced prostate cancer. (Funded by Canadian Institutes for Health Research and a PCF-STAR Project from Prostate Cancer Canada with the support of Safeway Canada) Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1970. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1970

Lipid nanoparticle siRNA systems for silencing the androgen receptor in human prostate cancer in vivo

The androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in the progression of prostate cancer. Silencing this protein using short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) has been correlated with tumor growth inhibition and decreases in serum prostate specific antigen (PSA). In our study, we have investigated the ability of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations of small-interfering RNA (siRNA) to silence AR in human prostate tumor cell lines in vitro and in LNCaP xenograft tumors following intravenous (i.v.) injection. In vitro screening studies using a panel of cationic lipids showed that LNPs containing the ionizable cationic lipid 2,2-dilinoleyl-4-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-[1,3]-dioxolane (DLin-KC2-DMA) exhibited the most potent AR silencing effects in LNCaP cells. This is attributed to an optimized ability of DLin-KC2-DMA-containing LNP to be taken up into cells and to release the siRNA into the cell cytoplasm following endocytotic uptake. DLin-KC2-DMA LNPs were also effective in silencing the AR in a wild-type AR expressing cell line, LAPC-4, and a variant AR expressing cell line, CWR22Rv1. Importantly, it is demonstrated that LNP AR-siRNA systems containing DLin-KC2-DMA can silence AR gene expression in distal LNCaP xenograft tumors and decrease serum PSA levels following i.v. injection. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the feasibility of LNP delivery of siRNA for silencing AR gene expression in vivo.

Computer Simulations of the Interactions Between Cationic and Anionic Lipids in Lipid Nano Particles for Drug Delivery

We used molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the structure and properties of lipid nanoparticles (LNP), with as long-term goal improving the efficiency of delivery of nucleic acids in gene therapy. LNPs are synthetic vectors with cationic nature. They are composed of a mixture of cationic lipids, fusogenic lipids, cholesterol and polymer-grafted lipids, and encapsulate siRNA. The presence of ionizable cationic lipids increases the charge density of LNPs at low pH, Cationic lipids were hypothesized to form ionic pairs with anionic lipids in the acidic environment of the endosome [1]. Due to interactions between the charges the ion pair becomes cone shaped and prone to form non-lamellar phase [1]. This contributes to the membrane disruption and release of nucleic acids from endosome.In this work we focus on the details of lipid-lipid interactions in the LNP and perform atomistic simulations of bilayers containing the cationic lipid (DLin-KC2-DMA), anionic lipids (DSPS) and zwitterionic lipids (DSPC). The cationic lipid DLin-KC2-DMA has been shown experimentally to improve the delivery capacity [1]. Force field parameters for DLin-KC2-DMA lipids were developed to reproduce thermodynamic properties, and tested to ensure compatibility with existing lipid parameters. The study is also important for understanding the mechanism of membrane breakdown upon change of pH/charge density.[1] Semple, S.C., et al., Rational design of cationic lipids for siRNA delivery.Nat Biotechnol, 2010. 28(2): p. 172-6.

Influence of Cationic Lipid Composition on Gene Silencing Properties of Lipid Nanoparticle Formulations of siRNA in Antigen-Presenting Cells

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are currently the most effective in vivo delivery systems for silencing target genes in hepatocytes employing small interfering RNA. Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are also potential targets for LNP siRNA. We examined the uptake, intracellular trafficking, and gene silencing potency in primary bone marrow macrophages (bmMΦ) and dendritic cells of siRNA formulated in LNPs containing four different ionizable cationic lipids namely DLinDAP, DLinDMA, DLinK-DMA, and DLinKC2-DMA. LNPs containing DLinKC2-DMA were the most potent formulations as determined by their ability to inhibit the production of GAPDH target protein. Also, LNPs containing DLinKC2-DMA were the most potent intracellular delivery agents as indicated by confocal studies of endosomal versus cytoplamic siRNA location using fluorescently labeled siRNA. DLinK-DMA and DLinKC2-DMA formulations exhibited improved gene silencing potencies relative to DLinDMA but were less toxic. In vivo results showed that LNP siRNA systems containing DLinKC2-DMA are effective agents for silencing GAPDH in APCs in the spleen and peritoneal cavity following systemic administration. Gene silencing in APCs was RNAi mediated and the use of larger LNPs resulted in substantially reduced hepatocyte silencing, while similar efficacy was maintained in APCs. These results are discussed with regard to the potential of LNP siRNA formulations to treat immunologically mediated diseases.

Simulation Study on the Properties of Cationic Lipid Bilayers and Vesicles

We are using molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the properties of ionizable cationic lipids forming bilayers and vesicles. This is important for rational design of lipid nanoparticle for delivery of nucleic acids (DNA, RNA). The process of transfection includes encapsulation of anionic biomolecules, binding of the nanoparticle to the membrane surface, endocytosis and release of the nucleic acids from the endosome. For ionizable cationic lipids the steps of this process are pH-dependent. In the acidic environment of the endosome, the charge density of the nanoparticle increases. Membrane disruption is believed to occur due to formation of the ion pairs between cationic lipids in the nanoparticle and anionic lipids in the endosome [Semple et al., Nature Biotech, 2010]. Due to favorable interactions between the headgroups, lipids in the ion pairs become cone-shaped and prone to form non-lamellar phases, such as the inverted hexagonal phase. We simulate cationic and anionic lipid mixtures in bilayers and vesicles and study the mechanism of membrane breakdown upon change of pH/charge density and variation in headgroup size.

Rational design of cationic lipids for siRNA delivery

We adopted a rational approach to design cationic lipids for use in formulations to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA). Starting with the ionizable cationic lipid 1,2-dilinoleyloxy-3-dimethylaminopropane (DLinDMA), a key lipid component of stable nucleic acid lipid particles (SNALP) as a benchmark, we used the proposed in vivo mechanism of action of ionizable cationic lipids to guide the design of DLinDMA-based lipids with superior delivery capacity. The best-performing lipid recovered after screening (DLin-KC2-DMA) was formulated and characterized in SNALP and demonstrated to have in vivo activity at siRNA doses as low as 0.01 mg/kg in rodents and 0.1 mg/kg in nonhuman primates. To our knowledge, this represents a substantial improvement over previous reports of in vivo endogenous hepatic gene silencing.

Methods for the Preparation of Protein−Oligonucleotide−Lipid Constructs

A mixture of ionizable cationic lipids, steric barrier lipids, and colipids is used to encapsulate oligonucleotide DNA in lipidic particles called SALP. This material is under development as an adjuvant for vaccines. Previously we have shown that coupling the antigen directly to the surface of SALP can lead to enhanced immunological responses in vivo. Two different methods for preparing ovalbumin-SALP were assessed in this work. Originally the conjugates were prepared by treating SALP containing a maleimide-derivatized lipid with thiolated ovalbumin, a method we refer to as active coupling. This reaction was found to be difficult to control and generally resulted in low coupling efficiencies. The issues relating to this approach were characterized. We have recently developed alternative techniques based on first coupling ovalbumin to a micelle and then incubating the resultant product with SALP, methods we refer to as passive coupling. We have shown that this method allows accurate control of the levels of protein associated SALP and does not suffer from surface saturation effects seen with the active coupling method that places maximum limits on the amount of protein that can be coupled to the SALP surface. The products from the passive coupling protocol are shown to have activity comparable to those derived from the active coupling protocol in investigations of in vivo immune responses.

Tunable pH-Sensitive Liposomes Composed of Mixtures of Cationic and Anionic Lipids

The pH-dependent fusion properties of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) composed of binary mixtures of anionic and cationic lipids have been investigated. It is shown that stable LUVs can be prepared from the ionizable anionic lipid cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHEMS) and the permanently charged cationic lipid N,N-dioleoyl- N,N-dimethylammonium chloride (DODAC) at neutral pH values and that these LUVs undergo fusion as the pH is reduced. The critical pH at which fusion was observed (pH f) was dependent on the cationic lipid-to-anionic lipid ratio. LUVs prepared from DODAC/CHEMS mixtures at molar ratios of 0 to 0.85 resulted in vesicles with pH f values that ranged from pH 4.0 to 6.7, respectively. This behavior is consistent with a model in which fusion occurs at pH values such that the DODAC/CHEMS LUV surface charge is zero. Related behavior was observed for LUVs composed of the ionizable cationic lipid 3 α-[ N-( N′,N′-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamoyl] cholesterol hydrochloride (DC-Chol) and the acidic lipid dioleoylphosphatidic acid (DOPA). Freeze-fracture and 31P NMR evidence is presented which indicates that pH-dependent fusion results from a preference of mixtures of cationic and anionic lipid for “inverted” nonbilayer lipid phases under conditions where the surface charge is zero. It is concluded that tunable pH-sensitive LUVs composed of cationic and anionic lipids may be of utility for drug delivery applications. It is also suggested that the ability of cationic lipids to adopt inverted nonbilayer structures in combination with anionic lipids may be related to the ability of cationic lipids to facilitate the intracellular delivery of macromolecules.