Sustained Release Of Protein Drugs Research Articles

Engineered therapeutic proteins for sustained-release drug delivery systems.

Proteins play a vital role in diverse biological processes in the human body, and protein therapeutics have been applied to treat different diseases such as cancers, genetic disorders, autoimmunity, and inflammation. Protein therapeutics have demonstrated their advantages, such as specific pharmaceutical effects, low toxicity, and strong solubility. However, several disadvantages arise in clinical applications, including short half-life, immunogenicity, and low permeation, leading to reduced drug effectiveness. The structure of protein therapeutics can be modified to increase molecular size, leading to prolonged stability and increased plasma half-life. Notably, the controlled-release delivery systems for the sustained release of protein drugs and preserving the stability of cargo proteins are envisioned as a potential approach to overcome these challenges. In this review, we summarize recent research progress related to structural modifications (PEGylation, glycosylation, poly amino acid modification, and molecular biology-based strategies) and promising long-term delivery systems, such as polymer-based systems (injectable gel/implants, microparticles, nanoparticles, micro/nanogels, functional polymers), lipid-based systems (liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers), and inorganic nanoparticles exploited for protein therapeutics. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: In this review, we highlight recent advances concerning modifying proteins directly to enhance their stability and functionality and discuss state-of-the-art methods for the delivery and controlled long-term release of active protein therapeutics to their target site. In terms of drug modifications, four widely used strategies, including PEGylation, poly amino acid modification, glycosylation, and genetic, are discussed. As for drug delivery systems, we emphasize recent progress relating to polymer-based systems, lipid-based systems developed, and inorganic nanoparticles for protein sustained-release delivery. This review points out the areas requiring focused research attention before the full potential of protein therapeutics for human health and disease can be realized.

Hydrogel microcapsules containing engineered bacteria for sustained production and release of protein drugs

Subcutaneous administration of sustained-release formulations is a common strategy for protein drugs, which avoids first pass effect and has high bioavailability. However, conventional sustained-release strategies can only load a limited amount of drug, leading to insufficient durability. Herein, we developed microcapsules based on engineered bacteria for sustained release of protein drugs. Engineered bacteria were carried in microcapsules for subcutaneous administration, with a production-lysis circuit for sustained protein production and release. Administrated in diabetic rats, engineered bacteria microcapsules was observed to smoothly release Exendin-4 for 2 weeks and reduce blood glucose. In another example, by releasing subunit vaccines with bacterial microcomponents as vehicles, engineered bacterial microcapsules activated specific immunity in mice and achieved tumor prevention. The engineered bacteria microcapsules have potential to durably release protein drugs and show versatility on the size of drugs. It might be a promising design strategy for long-acting in situ drug factory.

Interaction between human serum albumin and cholesterol-grafted polyglutamate as the potential carriers of protein drugs

Currently there is no successful platform technology for the sustained release of protein drugs. It seems inevitable to specifically develop new materials for such purpose, and hence the understanding of protein–material interactions is highly desirable. In this study, we synthesized cholesterol-grafted polyglutamate (PGA-g-Chol) as a hydrophobically-modified polypeptide, and thoroughly characterized its interaction with a model protein (human serum albumin) in the aqueous solution by using circular dichroism, fluorescence methods, and light scattering. With the protein concentration fixed at 5 μmol/L, adding PGA-g-Chol polymers into the solution resulted in continuous blue shift of the protein fluorescence (from 339 to 332 nm), until the polymer molar concentration reached the same value as the protein. In contrast, the un-modified polyglutamate polymers apparently neither affected the protein microenvironment nor formed aggregates. Based on the experimental data, we proposed a physical picture for such protein–polymer systems, where the polymer first bind with the protein in a 1:1 molar ratio via a fraction of their hydrophobic pendant cholesterol resides along the polymer chain. In this protein/polymer complex, there are excess unbound cholesterol residues. As the polymer concentration increases, the polymers form multi-polymer aggregates around 200 nm in diameter via the same hydrophobic cholesterol residues. The protein/polymer complex also participate in the aggregation via their excess cholesterol residues, and consequently the proteins are encapsulated into the nanoparticles. The encapsulation was also found to increase the thermal stability of the model protein.

Carboxymethyl cellulose based hybrid material for sustained release of protein drugs

Hybrid materials contain polysaccharide based network and biomimetic calcium phosphate are potentially appropriate for bone repair and drug release. Novel hydrogel composed of carboxymethyl cellulose backbone grafted with crosslinked poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) CMC-g-PDMAEMA was subjected to biomimetic calcium phosphate mineralization through simulated body fluid. Infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed calcium phosphate mineralization while X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results suggested that the deposited phase contains mineralized component of bone, hydroxyapatite. CMC-g-PDMAEMA hydrogels before and after calcium phosphate mineralization were investigated as a drug carrier and the results showed significant efficiency of the mineralized hydrogel to deliver bovine serum albumin (BSA). These results indicated that CMC-g-PDMAEMA/calcium phosphate could serve as a new class of multifunctional hybrid materials for various biomedical applications.

Hyaluronidase-incorporated hyaluronic acid–tyramine hydrogels for the sustained release of trastuzumab

We developed an injectable hydrogel system for the sustained release of protein drugs that incorporated both protein drugs and hyaluronidase. Trastuzumab and hyaluronidase were incorporated in hydrogels composed of hyaluronic acid–tyramine (HA–Tyr) conjugates through the enzymatic crosslinking utilizing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Through electrostatic interactions with the HA, trastuzumab was retained in the hydrogel to minimize its burst release. Hyaluronidase was incorporated in the hydrogel to release trastuzumab from the hydrogels. The hydrogels were degraded and showed sustained release of trastuzumab in phosphate buffer over four weeks in vitro. Both the rates of drug release and gel degradation were controlled by the concentration of hyaluronidase. Trastuzumab released from the hydrogels inhibited the proliferation of BT-474 cells in vitro. In an animal model, the single subcutaneous injection of a mixture solution of HA–Tyr conjugates, H2O2, HRP, trastuzumab and hyaluronidase inhibited tumor growth significantly, whereas injection of trastuzumab alone at the same dose failed to do so. Compared to trastuzumab alone, the hyaluronidase-incorporated HA–Tyr hydrogels improved the pharmacokinetic profile of trastuzumab in the plasma of mice. Furthermore, they were fully degraded over two weeks, and the formation of fibrous capsules was not observed in mice.

Poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) core–shell microspheres with enhanced controllability of drug encapsulation and release rate

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres have been widely used as drug carriers for minimally invasive, local, and sustained drug delivery. However, their use is often plagued by limited controllability of encapsulation efficiency, initial burst, and release rate of drug molecules, which cause unsatisfactory outcomes and several side effects including inflammation. This study presents a new strategy of tuning the encapsulation efficiency and the release rate of protein drugs from a PLGA microsphere by filling the hollow core of the microsphere with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels of varying cross-linking density. The PEG gel cores were prepared by inducing in situ cross-linking reactions of PEG monoacrylate solution within the PLGA microspheres. The resulting PEG-PLGA core–shell microspheres exhibited (1) increased encapsulation efficiency, (2) decreased initial burst, and (3) a more sustained release of protein drugs, as the cross-linking density of the PEG gel core was increased. In addition, implantation of PEG-PLGA core–shell microspheres encapsulated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) onto a chicken chorioallantoic membrane resulted in a significant increase in the number of new blood vessels at an implantation site, while minimizing inflammation. Overall, this strategy of introducing PEG gel into PLGA microspheres will be highly useful in tuning release rates and ultimately in improving the therapeutic efficacy of a wide array of protein drugs.

TGF-β3 encapsulated PLCL scaffold by a supercritical CO2–HFIP co-solvent system for cartilage tissue engineering

Mimicking the native tissue microenvironment is critical for effective tissue regeneration. Mechanical cues and sustained biological cues are important factors, particularly in load-bearing tissues such as articular cartilage or bone. Carriers including hydrogels and nanoparticles have been investigated to achieve sustained release of protein drugs. However, it is difficult to apply such carriers alone as scaffolds for cartilage regeneration because of their weak mechanical properties, and they must be combined with other biomaterials that have adequate mechanical strength. In this study, we developed the multifunctional scaffold which has similar mechanical properties to those of native cartilage and encapsulates TGF-β3 for chondrogenesis. In our previous work, we confirmed that poly(lactide-co-caprolacton) (PLCL) did not foam when exposed to supercritical CO2 below 45°C. Here, we used a supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) co-solvent system to facilitate processing under mild conditions because high temperature causes protein denaturation and decreases bioactivity of the protein. This processing made it possible to fabricate a TGF-β3 encapsulated elastic porous PLCL scaffold at 37°C. We investigated the tissue regeneration efficiency of the TGF-β3 encapsulated PLCL scaffold using human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) in vitro and in vivo (Groups; i. PLCL scaffold+Fibrin gel+TGF-β3, ii. TGF-β3 encapsulated PLCL scaffold+Fibrin gel, iii. TGF-β3 encapsulated PLCL scaffold). We evaluated the chondrogenic abilities of the scaffolds at 4, 8, and 12weeks after subcutaneous implantation of the constructs in immune-deficient mice. Based on TGF-β3 release studies, we confirmed that TGF-β3 molecules were released by 8weeks and remained in the PLCL matrix. Explants of TGF-β3 encapsulated scaffolds by a co-solvent system exhibited distinct improvement in the compressive E-modulus and deposition of extracellular matrix. Furthermore, long-term delivery of TGF-β3 formed a hyaline cartilage-specific lacunae structure and prevented the hypertrophy of differentiated chondrocytes. TGF-β3 encapsulated PLCL scaffolds would be useful as functional scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering.

Biodegradable Poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid)-Based Micro/Nanoparticles for Sustained Release of Protein Drugs - A Review

Biodegradable poly(D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and PLGA-based polymeric nanoparticles are widely used for sustained release of protein and peptide drugs. These formulations are usually prepared by water/oil/water (W/O/W) and solid/oil/water (S/O/W) double emulsion solvent evaporation method. Other methods of preparation are nanoprecipitation, emulsion solvent diffusion and salting-out. This review attempts to address the effects of PLGA molecular weight, lactide to glycolide ratio, crystallinity, hydrophilicity as well as nanoparticles preparation variables (e.g., homogenizer speed, surfactants nature and concentration) on the size, morphology, drug encapsulation efficiency and release profile of PLGA mico/nanoparticles. The current knowledge of protein instability during preparation, storage and release from PLGA micro/nanoparticles and protein stabilization approaches has also been discussed in this review.Keywords: Poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid), Nanoparticles, Microparticles, Protein/peptides, Sustained release, Protein instability

Injectable extracellular matrix hydrogel developed using porcine articular cartilage

This work was first development of a delivery system capable of maintaining a sustained release of protein drugs at specific sites by using potentially biocompatible porcine articular cartilage. The prepared porcine articular cartilage powder (PCP) was easily soluble in phosphate-buffered saline. The PCP suspension easily entrapped bovine serum albumin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (BSA-FITC) in pharmaceutical formulations at room temperature. The aggregation of PCP and BSA-FITC was confirmed by dynamic light scattering. When the BSA-FITC-loaded PCP suspension was subcutaneously injected into rats, it gelled and formed an interconnecting three-dimensional PCP structure that allowed BSA to penetrate through it. The amount of BSA-FITC released from the PCP hydrogel was determined in rat plasma and monitored by real-time in vivo molecular imaging. The data indicated sustained release of BSA-FITC for 20 days in vivo. In addition, the PCP hydrogel induced a slight inflammatory response. In conclusion, we showed that the PCP hydrogel could serve as a minimally invasive therapeutics depot.

In vivo release of bovine serum albumin from an injectable small intestinal submucosa gel

We aimed to develop a delivery system capable of maintaining a sustained release of protein drugs at specific sites using potentially biocompatible biomaterials. Here, we used bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a test protein to explore the potential utility of an injectable small intestine submucosa (SIS) as a depot for protein drugs. The prepared SIS powder was dispersed in PBS. The SIS suspension easily entrapped BSA in pharmaceutical formulations at room temperature. When this was suspension subcutaneously injected into rats, it gelled, forming an interconnecting three-dimensional network SIS structure to allow BSA to penetrate through it. The amount of BSA-FITC released from the SIS gel was determined in rat plasma and monitored by real-time in vivo molecular imaging. The data indicated the sustained release of BSA-FITC for 30 days in vivo. In addition, SIS gel provoked little inflammatory response. Collectively, our results show that the SIS gel described here could serve as a minimally invasive therapeutics depot with numerous benefits compared to other injectable biomaterials.

In vitro and in vivo release of albumin from an electrostatically crosslinked in situ-forming gel

Delivery systems capable of maintaining a sustained release of protein drugs at specific sites can potentially circumvent problems of toxicity and subtherapeutic local dosing levels associated with systemic administration. Here, we used bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a test protein to explore the potential utility of an in situ-forming gel consisting of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a depot for protein drugs. BSA-FITC-loaded CMC/PEI solutions were easily prepared and remained liquid at room temperature. When these solutions were subcutaneously injected into rats, they immediately gelled, forming an electrostatically crosslinked three-dimensional network structure that showed sustained release of BSA-FITC for 15 days in vitro and in vivo. No BSA-FITC remained in CMC/PEI gels after this time, indicating complete release of protein cargo. The sustained release of BSA-FITC was also monitored by real-time molecular imaging, which showed that BSA-FITC bioavailability in BSA-FITC-loaded CMC/PEI gels was more than twice that of BSA-FITC-only solutions. CMC/PEI gels provoked only a modest inflammatory response. Collectively, our results show that the CMC/PEI gel described here could serve as a minimally invasive therapeutics depot with numerous benefits compared to orally or intravenously administered drugs.

Wet sol–gel derived silica for controlled release of proteins

The potential of wet sol–gel derived silica gels as new matrices for the entrapment and sustained release of proteins was investigated. Model proteins, BSA, ribonuclease-A and avidin, with differing molecular weights and/or isoelectric points, were entrapped in two silica polymer formulations having different silica contents (4% and 12% wt/v). The conformational stability of the proteins after entrapment and their release after immersion into physiological conditions were measured. Circular dichroism analysis showed that protein conformation is maintained after entrapment and stability is enhanced. Protein-free formulations were injected intramuscularly into BALB/c mice to monitor the in vivo fate of the matrix, and the results showed that the gel is totally reabsorbed, without any apparent surrounding inflammation process. The time required for matrix bioerosion varied between one to three weeks, depending on its SiO 2 content. Erosion was also measured in vitro and the contribution of erosion and diffusion to the release of the embedded proteins was quantified. These data indicate that wet silica polymers obtained by the sol–gel route are promising matrices for the sustained release of protein drugs.

Poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels formed by conjugate addition with controllable swelling, degradation, and release of pharmaceutically active proteins

Hydrogels were formed by conjugate addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) multiacrylates and dithiothreitol (DTT) for encapsulation and sustained release of protein drugs; human growth hormone (hGH) was considered as an example. Prior to encapsulation, the hGH was precipitated either by Zn 2+ ions or by linear PEG, to protect the hGH from reaction with the gel precursors during gelation. Precipitation by Zn 2+ ions yielded precipitates that dissolved slowly and delayed release from even highly permeable gels, whereas linear PEG yielded rapidly dissolving precipitates. To independently protect the protein and delay its release, linear PEG precipitation was adopted, and release control via modulation of the PEG gel mesh size was sought. By varying the molecular weight of the multiarm PEG acrylates, control over gel swelling and hGH release, from a few hours to a few months, could be obtained. Protein release from the swollen and degrading PEG-based gel networks was modeled as a diffusion process with a time-dependent diffusion coefficient, calculated from swelling measurements and theoretical mesh sizes. Release following zero-order kinetics was obtained by the counter influences of decreasing protein concentration and increasing protein diffusion coefficient over time.