Polymeric Nanoparticles Amenable to Simultaneous Installation of Exterior Targeting and Interior Therapeutic Proteins

• Main Authors: Zhu, Xi (Author), Wu, Jun (Author), Shan, Wei (Author), Tao, Wei (Author), Zhao, Lili (Author), Lim, Jong-Min (Contributor), D'Ortenzio, Mathew (Author), Karnik, Rohit (Contributor), Huang, Yuan (Author), Shi, Jinjun (Author), Farokhzad, Omid C. (Author)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley Blackwell, 2017-03-09T15:51:57Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 Effective delivery of therapeutic proteins is a formidable challenge. Herein, using a unique polymer family with a wide-ranging set of cationic and hydrophobic features, we developed a novel nanoparticle (NP) platform capable of installing protein ligands on the particle surface and simultaneously carrying therapeutic proteins inside by a self-assembly procedure. The loaded therapeutic proteins (e.g., insulin) within the NPs exhibited sustained and tunable release, while the surface-coated protein ligands (e.g., transferrin) were demonstrated to alter the NP cellular behaviors. In vivo results revealed that the transferrin-coated NPs can effectively be transported across the intestinal epithelium for oral insulin delivery, leading to a notable hypoglycemic response.