BIFUNCTIONAL BISPHOSPHONATES FOR DELIVERING BIOMOLECULES TO BONE

Active targeting with controlled delivery of therapeutic agents to bone is an ideal approach for treatment of several bone diseases. Since bisphosphonates (BPs) are known to have high affinity to bone mineral and are being widely used in treatment of osteoporosis, they are well-suited for drug targeting to bone. For this purpose, bifunctional hydrazine-bisphosphonates (HBPs) with spacers of various lengths and lipophilicity were synthesized and studied. Crystal growth inhibition assays demonstrated that the HBPs with shorter spacers bound more strongly to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite (HA), than did alendronate. HBPs were also demonstrated to be non-toxic to MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts. The targeted delivery of the HBP-conjugated model drug, 4-nitrobenzaldehyde, was demonstrated through hydrolysis of the hydrazone linkage at the low pH of bone resorption and wound healing sites. In another series of experiments, a method to orient proteins on HA surfaces was developed to improve protein bioactivity. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and β-lactamase were used as model proteins. These proteins have a Ser or Thr at their N-terminus, which was oxidized to obtain a single aldehyde group that was subsequently used for bonding HBPs of various length and lipophilicity through formation of a hydrazone bond. The amount of protein immobilized through various HBPs was determined and found not to be exclusively dependent on the length of HBPs. The enzymatic activity of HBP-immobilized β-lactamase, measured with cefazolin as substrate, was found to be higher than β-lactamase that was simply adsorbed on HA. In a third set of studies, HBPs were evaluated for delivering parathyroid hormone (PTH) to bone mineral to enhance cell responses for bone formation. PTH was oxidized and conjugated to HBPs, followed by targeting to bone wafers. In vitro bioassays demonstrated that HBP-targeted PTH stimulated greater synthesis of cAMP in pre-osteoblasts compared to surfaces with simply adsorbed PTH. HBPs were also found to have similar pro-apoptotic activity to widely used alendronate. Overall, HBPs can be used for drug delivery to bone and oriented immobilization of proteins and peptides, with or without anti-osteoclastic action, for a variety of applications including bone tissue engineering

Bifunctional bisphosphonates for delivering PTH (1-34) to bone mineral with enhanced bioactivity

The objective of this work was to demonstrate the bioactivity of parathyroid hormone (1-34) (PTH) delivered through a single molecule of bisphosphonate to improve tissue/cell interactions. Bifunctional hydrazine-bisphosphonates (HBPs) with varying length and lipophilicity were used as a drug delivery vehicle. PTH was oxidized with periodate treatment to obtain an N-terminal aldehyde that was then conjugated to HBPs. The toxicity and apoptotic properties of HBPs and HBP–PTH conjugates were studied with macrophages (RAW 264.7). It was found that one of the HBPs had significant apoptotic characteristics similar to alendronate, which is a widely prescribed drug in the treatment of osteoporosis. The improved binding affinity of PTH following conjugation to HBP was determined using a hydroxyapatite binding assay. The amount of PTH delivered to bone through HBPs was not affected by the length or lipophilicity of the HBPs. Furthermore, the improved bioactivity of PTH delivered to bone through HBPs, in comparison to adsorbed PTH, was demonstrated by quantifying the cAMP produced by pre-osteoblastic (MC3T3-E1) cells in response to PTH. The delivery of bioactive PTH to bone tissue by HBP conjugation demonstrates the potential use of HBPs in delivering therapeutic macromolecules to bone for the treatment of several skeletal diseases

Enhanced Affinity Bifunctional Bisphosphonates for Targeted Delivery of Therapeutic Agents to Bone

Skeletal diseases have a major impact on the worldwide population and economy. Although several therapeutic agents and treatments are available for addressing bone diseases, they are not being fully utilized because of their uptake in non-targeted sites and related side effects. Active targeting with controlled delivery is an ideal approach for treatment of such diseases. Because bisphosphonates are known to have high affinity to bone and are being widely used in treatment of osteoporosis, they are well-suited for drug targeting to bone. In this study, a targeted delivery of therapeutic agent to resorption sites and wound healing sites of bone was explored. Towards this goal, bifunctional hydrazine-bisphosphonates (HBPs), with spacers of various lengths, were synthesized and studied for their enhanced affinity to bone. Crystal growth inhibition studies showed that these HBPs have high affinity to hydroxyapatite, and HBPs with shorter spacers bind stronger than alendronate to hydroxyapatite. The HBPs did not affect proliferation of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts, did not induce apoptosis, and were not cytotoxic at the concentration range tested (10 −6 - 10 −4 M). Furthermore, drugs can be linked to the HBPs through a hydrazone linkage that is cleavable at the low pH of bone resorption and wound healing sites, leading to release of the drug. This was demonstrated using hydroxyapatite as a model material of bone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde as a model drug. This study suggests that these HBPs could be used for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to bone

Progressive Saturation Improves the Encapsulation of Functional Proteins in Nanoscale Polymer Vesicles

Purpose To develop a technique that maximizes the encapsulation of functional proteins within neutrally charged, fully PEGylated and nanoscale polymer vesicles (i.e., polymersomes). Methods Three conventional vesicle formation methods were utilized for encapsulation of myoglobin (Mb) in polymersomes of varying size, PEG length, and membrane thickness. Mb concentrations were monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and by the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay. Suspensions were subject to protease treatment to differentiate the amounts of surface-associated vs. encapsulated Mb. Polymersome sizes and morphologies were monitored by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), respectively. Binding and release of oxygen were measured using a Hemeox analyzer. Results Using the established “thin-film rehydration” and “direct hydration” methods, Mb was found to be largely surface-associated with negligible aqueous encapsulation within polymersome suspensions. Through iterative optimization, a novel “progressive saturation” technique was developed that greatly increased the final concentrations of Mb (from  2.0 mg/mL in solution), the final weight ratio of Mb-to-polymer that could be reproducibly obtained (from  4 w/w% Mb/polymer), as well as the overall efficiency of Mb encapsulation (from  90%). Stable vesicle morphologies were verified by cryo-TEM; the suspensions also displayed no signs of aggregate formation for > 2 weeks as assessed by DLS. “Progressive saturation” was further utilized for the encapsulation of a variety of other proteins, ranging in size from 17 to 450 kDa. Conclusions Compared to established vesicle formation methods, “progressive saturation” increases the quantities of functional proteins that may be encapsulated in nanoscale polymersomes.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (1R43CA159527-01A1 and 1R43AI096605-01)Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC-18-OCIS-194, KSTC-184-512-12-135, KSTC-184-512-13-156)Charles W. and Jennifer C. Johnson Koch Institute Clinical Investigator AwardKathryn Fox Samway FoundationMisrock Foundatio

Enhanced Affinity Bifunctional Bisphosphonates for Targeted Delivery of Therapeutic Agents to Bone

Skeletal diseases have a major impact on the worldwide population and economy. Although several therapeutic agents and treatments are available for addressing bone diseases, they are not being fully utilized because of their uptake in non-targeted sites and related side effects. Active targeting with controlled delivery is an ideal approach for treatment of such diseases. Because bisphosphonates are known to have high affinity to bone and are being widely used in treatment of osteoporosis, they are well-suited for drug targeting to bone. In this study, a targeted delivery of therapeutic agent to resorption sites and wound healing sites of bone was explored. Towards this goal, bifunctional hydrazine-bisphosphonates (HBPs), with spacers of various lengths, were synthesized and studied for their enhanced affinity to bone. Crystal growth inhibition studies showed that these HBPs have high affinity to hydroxyapatite, and HBPs with shorter spacers bind stronger than alendronate to hydroxyapatite. The HBPs did not affect proliferation of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts, did not induce apoptosis, and were not cytotoxic at the concentration range tested (10(−6) - 10(−4) M). Furthermore, drugs can be linked to the HBPs through a hydrazone linkage that is cleavable at the low pH of bone resorption and wound healing sites, leading to release of the drug. This was demonstrated using hydroxyapatite as a model material of bone and 4-nitrobenzaldehyde as a model drug. This study suggests that these HBPs could be used for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to bone