Here, we present a protocol for the synthesis of placental chondroitin sulfate A binding peptide (plCSA-BP)-conjugated lipid-polymer nanoparticles via single-step sonication and bioconjugate techniques. These particles constitute a novel tool for the targeted delivery of therapeutics to most human tumors and placental trophoblasts to treat cancers and placental disorders.
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Method Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Placental Chondroitin Sulfate A (plCSA)-Targeting Lipid-Polymer Nanoparticles
* These authors contributed equally
In This Article
Summary
Abstract
An effective cancer therapeutic method reduces and eliminates tumors with minimal systemic toxicity. Actively targeting nanoparticles offer a promising approach to cancer therapy. The glycosaminoglycan placental chondroitin sulfate A (plCSA) is expressed on a wide range of cancer cells and placental trophoblasts, and malarial protein VAR2CSA can specifically bind to plCSA. A reported placental chondroitin sulfate A binding peptide (plCSA-BP), derived from malarial protein VAR2CSA, can also specifically bind to plCSA on cancer cells and placental trophoblasts. Hence, plCSA-BP-conjugated nanoparticles could be used as a tool for targeted drug delivery to human cancers and placental trophoblasts. In this protocol, we describe a method to synthesize plCSA-BP-conjugated lipid-polymer nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin (plCSA-DNPs); the method consists of a single sonication step and bioconjugate techniques. In addition, several methods for characterizing plCSA-DNPs, including determining their physicochemical properties and cellular uptake by placental choriocarcinoma (JEG3) cells, are described.
Introduction
An effective cancer therapeutic method reduces and eliminates tumors with minimal systemic toxicity. Hence, selective tumor targeting is the key to exploring successful therapeutic methods. Nanoparticles offer a promising opportunity for cancer therapy, and molecular assemblies with different functional groups will enhance drug efficacy and reduce associated side effects1,2. Moreover, nanoparticle systems mainly utilize passive and active targeting to reach target tumors3.
Passive targeting exploits the innate characteristics of nanoparticles and enhanced per....
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Protocol
1. Preparation of Stock Solutions
- Prepare an aqueous solution of 4% ethanol by diluting 4 mL of absolute ethanol with 100 mL of ultrapure water. Store the solution at 4 °C.
NOTE: Ultrapure water is defined as water without contaminants such as bacteria, particulates, ions, or nucleases. Ultrapure water was obtained from a water purification system with a target resistivity of up to 18.2 mΩ·cm, which means low anionic contamination. - Prepare a 1 mg/mL soybean lecithin stock solution by dissolving 20 mg of soybean lecithin in 20 mL of the aqueous solution of 4% ethanol. Store the soybean lecithin stock solution at 4 °C.
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Results
In this protocol, PLGA, DSPE-PEG-COOH and soybean lecithin are a representative polymer, lipid-PEG-COOH conjugate and lipid, respectively. The synthesis of plCSA-targeted lipid-polymer nanoparticles via a single-step sonication method and an EDC/NHS technique is illustrated in Figure 1. First, under sonication conditions, soybean lecithin, PLGA and DSPE-PEG-COOH self-assemble to form core-shell structured DNPs. The core consists of PLGA and encapsula.......
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Discussion
This protocol provides an efficient and reproducible method for synthesizing plCSA-BP-conjugated lipid-polymer nanoparticles. The single-step sonication method to prepare lipid-polymer nanoparticles is fast, reproducible and different from typical nanoprecipitation methods that involve heating, vortexing, or evaporation. Hence, the developed method significantly reduces the synthesis time. In addition, the EDC/NHS bioconjugate used in this protocol is a commonly used and convenient technique to conjugate peptides and ant.......
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Disclosures
X.F. and B.Z. are the inventors on the patent PCT/CN2017/108646 and 201710906587.6 submitted by SIAT that covers a plCSA-targeted nanoparticle synthesis method and application. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed by the other authors.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC1000402), the National Natural Sciences Foundation (81571445 and 81771617) and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2016A030313178) to X.F. and the Shenzhen Basic Research Fund (JCYJ20170413165233512) to X.F.
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Materials
| Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| plCSA peptide | Shanghai GL Biochem | 573518 | for peptide synthesis |
| Ethanol absolute | Sinopharm Chemical | 10009218 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| Soybean lecithin | Avanti Polar Lipids | 441601 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| DSPE-PEG-COOH | Avanti Polar Lipids | 880125 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| Doxorubicin | JKChemical | 113424 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| Acetonitrile | Shanghai Lingfeng | 1008621 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| PLGA | Sigma-Aldrich | 719897 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| Ultrasonic processor | Sonics | VCX130 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| Centrifuge filter (MWCO 10 kDa) | Millipore | UFC801024 | for nanoparticles purification |
| centrifuge | Sigma | 3-18KS | for nanoparticles purification |
| 2-[morpholino]ethanesulfonic acid(MES) | Sigma-Aldrich | M3671 | for peptide conjugation |
| 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) | Sigma-Aldrich | 3450 | for peptide conjugation |
| N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) | Sigma-Aldrich | 56480 | for peptide conjugation |
| Dialysis bags | Spectrum | 132592T | for nanoparticles purification |
| PBS | Hyclone | SH30028.01 | for cell culture |
| 10 mL centrifuge tubes, polypropylene | Aladdin | S-025 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| 15 mL centrifuge tubes, polypropylene | Corning | 430791 | for various applications |
| 0.22 μm sterile syringe filter | Millipore | SLGV033RB | for nanoparticles purification |
| 1 ml syringe, polypropylene | BD | 328421 | for nanoparticles synthesis |
| Malvern Zetasizer | Malvern | Nano ZS | for particle size analyer |
| Phosphotungstic acid | for TEM | ||
| TEM grid | EMCN | BZ10024a | for TEM |
| UV-VIS spectrometer | Leagene | DZ0035 | for TEM |
| Transmission electron microscope | JEOL | JEM-100CXII | for particle size analyer |
| BCA reagent A | Thermo Fisher Scientific | 23228 | for BCA assay |
| BCA reagent B | Thermo Fisher Scientific | 23224 | for BCA assay |
| 96-Well Plates | Corning | 3599 | for BCA assay |
| Plate reader | Thermo Fisher Scientific | Multiskan™ GO | for BCA assay |
| 12-well plates | Corning | 3513 | for cell culture |
| JEG3 cell | Cell Bank of the Chinese Academy of Sciences | TCHu195 | Human placenta |
| DMEM/F12 | Hyclone | SH30272.01 | phenol red-free |
| Fetal bovine serum (FBS) | GIBCO | 10100 | for cell culture |
| Penicillin/streptomycin | GIBCO | 15070063 | for cell culture |
| Fluorescence microscope | OLYMPUS | CKK53 | for celluar uptake |
| Paraformaldehyde | Shanghai Lingfeng | 1372021 | for celluar uptake |
| DAPI | Sangon Biotech | A606584 | for celluar uptake |
| Mounting medium | Life | P36961 | for celluar uptake |
References
- Davis, M. E., Shin, D. M. Nanoparticle therapeutics: an emerging treatment modality for cancer. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 7 (9), 771(2008).
- Nie, S., Xing, Y., Kim, G. J., Simons, J. W. Nanotechnology applications in cancer. Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering. 9, 257-288 (2007).
- Jabir, N. R., et al.
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