Polymeric Nanoparticles as Carriers for Antimicrobial Peptides : Factors Affecting Peptide and Membrane Interactions

As resistance towards conventional antibiotics is becoming more pronounced, cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have received considerable attention as possible therapeutic alternatives. Thousands of potent AMPs occur in humans, animals, plants and fungi as a natural part of the immune system. However, there are several challenges with AMP therapeutics related to formulation and delivery. Examples include proteolytic sensitivity and serum protein binding, resulting in quick degradation, loss of activity and clearance. Therefore, it is important to find a suitable drug delivery system to meet these protection and delivery challenges. Micro-/nanogels are loosely crosslinked polymer colloids with high water content that can be made to trigger at a wide range of stimuli. They have shown promise as delivery systems for AMPs, as the aqueous environment they create allows the peptides to maintain their natural conformation, while their gel networks offer protection and triggered release. This thesis aims towards expanding the knowledge about degradable and non-degradable pH-responsive micro-/nanogels as carriers for AMPs. The results in this thesis show that factors relating to the drug delivery system (degradability, charge and crosslinker density), the surrounding media (pH and ionic strength) and the peptide properties (length, charge, PEGylation) all affect the peptide loading to, protection, release from and effect of AMP-loaded gels. Studies of the interaction of AMP-loaded microgels with bacteria-modelling liposomes and lipid bilayers have verified peptide effect after gel incorporation, as further demonstrated by in vitro studies on several bacterial strains. Neutron reflectometry provided detailed mechanistic information on the interaction between AMP-loaded gels and bacteria-modelling lipid bilayers, showing that the antimicrobial unit is the released peptide. All gels showed low, promising hemolysis and some gels could offer protection against proteolytic degradation of AMPs. In summary, non-degradable and degradable micro-/nanogels are versatile and interesting candidates as AMP carriers. Small changes in the gel composition or the AMP used can dramatically change the peptide loading, release and effect. It is therefore necessary to carefully consider and evaluate the optimal carrier for every AMP and the application at hand

Polymeric Nanoparticles as Carriers for Antimicrobial Peptides : Factors Affecting Peptide and Membrane Interactions

As resistance towards conventional antibiotics is becoming more pronounced, cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have received considerable attention as possible therapeutic alternatives. Thousands of potent AMPs occur in humans, animals, plants and fungi as a natural part of the immune system. However, there are several challenges with AMP therapeutics related to formulation and delivery. Examples include proteolytic sensitivity and serum protein binding, resulting in quick degradation, loss of activity and clearance. Therefore, it is important to find a suitable drug delivery system to meet these protection and delivery challenges. Micro-/nanogels are loosely crosslinked polymer colloids with high water content that can be made to trigger at a wide range of stimuli. They have shown promise as delivery systems for AMPs, as the aqueous environment they create allows the peptides to maintain their natural conformation, while their gel networks offer protection and triggered release. This thesis aims towards expanding the knowledge about degradable and non-degradable pH-responsive micro-/nanogels as carriers for AMPs. The results in this thesis show that factors relating to the drug delivery system (degradability, charge and crosslinker density), the surrounding media (pH and ionic strength) and the peptide properties (length, charge, PEGylation) all affect the peptide loading to, protection, release from and effect of AMP-loaded gels. Studies of the interaction of AMP-loaded microgels with bacteria-modelling liposomes and lipid bilayers have verified peptide effect after gel incorporation, as further demonstrated by in vitro studies on several bacterial strains. Neutron reflectometry provided detailed mechanistic information on the interaction between AMP-loaded gels and bacteria-modelling lipid bilayers, showing that the antimicrobial unit is the released peptide. All gels showed low, promising hemolysis and some gels could offer protection against proteolytic degradation of AMPs. In summary, non-degradable and degradable micro-/nanogels are versatile and interesting candidates as AMP carriers. Small changes in the gel composition or the AMP used can dramatically change the peptide loading, release and effect. It is therefore necessary to carefully consider and evaluate the optimal carrier for every AMP and the application at hand

Microgels and hydrogels as delivery systems for antimicrobial peptides

Due to rapid development of bacterial resistance against antibiotics, an emerging health crisis is underway, where ‘simple’ infections may no longer be treatable. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute a class of substances attracting interest in this context. So far, research on AMPs has primarily focused on the identification of potent and selective peptides, as well as on the action mode of such peptides. More recently, there has been an increasing awareness that the delivery of AMPs is challenging due to their size, net positive charge, amphiphilicity, and proteolytic susceptibility. Hence, successful development of AMP therapeutics will likely require also careful design of efficient AMP delivery systems. In the present brief review, we discuss microgels, as well as related polyelectrolyte complexes and macroscopic hydrogels, as delivery systems for AMPs. In doing so, key factors for peptide loading and release are outlined and exemplified, together with consequences of this for functional performance relating to antimicrobial effects and cell toxicity

Membrane interactions of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as carriers of antimicrobial peptides

Membrane interactions are critical for the successful use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as delivery systems for antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In order to elucidate these, we here investigate effects of nanoparticle charge and porosity on AMP loading and release, as well as consequences of this for membrane interactions and antimicrobial effects. Anionic mesoporous silica particles were found to incorporate considerable amounts of the cationic AMP LLGDFFRKSKEKIGKEFKRIVQRIKDFLRNLVPRTES (LL-37), whereas loading is much lower for non-porous or positively charged silica nanoparticles. Due to preferential pore localization, anionic mesoporous particles, but not the other particles, protect LL-37 from degradation by infection-related proteases. For anionic mesoporous nanoparticles, membrane disruption is mediated almost exclusively by peptide release. In contrast, non-porous silica particles build up a resilient LL-37 surface coating due to their higher negative surface charge, and display largely particle-mediated membrane interactions and antimicrobial effects. For positively charged mesoporous silica nanoparticles, LL-37 incorporation promotes the membrane binding and disruption displayed by the particles in the absence of peptide, but also causes toxicity against human erythrocytes. Thus, the use of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as AMP delivery systems requires consideration of membrane interactions and selectivity of both free peptide and the peptide-loaded nanoparticles, the latter critically dependent on nanoparticle properties.Accepted versio

Off-Stoichiometric Thiol-Ene Chemistry to Dendritic Nanogel Therapeutics

A novel platform of dendritic nanogels is herein presented, capitalizing on the self-assembly of allyl-functional polyesters based on dendritic-linear-dendritic amphiphiles followed by simple cross-linking with complementary monomeric thiols via UV initiated off-stoichiometric thiol-ene chemistry. The facile approach enabled multigram creation of allyl reactive nanogel precursors, in the size range of 190-295 nm, being readily available for further modifications to display a number of core functionalities while maintaining the size distribution and characteristics of the master batch. The nanogels are evaluated as carriers of a spread of chemotherapeutics by customizing the core to accommodate each individual cargo. The resulting nanogels are biocompatible, displaying diffusion controlled release of cargo, maintained therapeutic efficacy, and decreased cargo toxic side effects. Finally, the nanogels are found to successfully deliver pharmaceuticals into a 3D pancreatic spheroids tumor model

Factors Affecting Peptide Interactions with Surface-Bound Microgels

Effects of electrostatics and peptide size on peptide interactions with surface-bound microgels were investigated with ellipsometry, confocal microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results show that binding of cationic poly-l-lysine (pLys) to anionic, covalently immobilized, poly(ethyl acrylate-co-methacrylic acid) microgels increased with increasing peptide net charge and microgel charge density. Furthermore, peptide release was facilitated by decreasing either microgel or peptide charge density. Analogously, increasing ionic strength facilitated peptide release for short peptides. As a result of peptide binding, the surface-bound microgels displayed pronounced deswelling and increased mechanical rigidity, the latter quantified by quantitative nanomechanical mapping. While short pLys was found to penetrate the entire microgel network and to result in almost complete charge neutralization, larger peptides were partially excluded from the microgel network, forming an outer peptide layer on the microgels. As a result of this difference, microgel flattening was more influenced by the lower Mw peptide than the higher. Peptide-induced deswelling was found to be lower for higher Mw pLys, the latter effect not observed for the corresponding microgels in the dispersed state. While the effects of electrostatics on peptide loading and release were similar to those observed for dispersed microgels, there were thus considerable effects of the underlying surface on peptide-induced microgel deswelling, which need to be considered in the design of surface-bound microgels as carriers of peptide loads, for example, in drug delivery or in functionalized biomaterials

Membrane interactions of microgels as carriers of antimicrobial peptides

Microgels are interesting as potential delivery systems for antimicrobial peptides. In order to elucidate membrane interactions of such systems, we here investigate effects of microgel charge density on antimicrobial peptide loading and release, as well as consequences of this for membrane interactions and antimicrobial effects, using ellipsometry, circular dichroism spectroscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, dynamic light scattering and z-potential measurements. Anionic poly(ethyl acrylate-co-methacrylic acid) microgels were found to incorporate considerable amounts of the cationic antimicrobial peptides LL-37 (LLGDFFRKSKEKIGKEFKRIVQRIKDFLRNLVPRTES) and DPK-060 (GKHKNKGKKNGKHNGWKWWW) and to protect incorporated peptides from degradation by infection-related proteases at high microgel charge density. As a result of their net negative z-potential also at high peptide loading, neither empty nor peptide-loaded microgels adsorb at supported bacteria-mimicking membranes. Instead, membrane disruption is mediated almost exclusively by peptide release. Mirroring this, antimicrobial effects against several clinically relevant bacteria (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were found to be promoted by factors facilitating peptide release, such as decreasing peptide length and decreasing microgel charge density. Microgels were further demonstrated to display low toxicity towards erythrocytes. Taken together, the results demonstrate some interesting opportunities for the use of microgels as delivery systems for antimicrobial peptides, but also highlight several key factors which need to be controlled for their successful use