An antigen-encapsulating nanoparticle platform for TH1/17 immune tolerance therapy.

Tolerogenic nanoparticles (NPs) are rapidly being developed as specific immunotherapies to treat autoimmune disease. However, many NP-based therapies conjugate antigen (Ag) directly to the NP posing safety concerns due to antibody binding or require the co-delivery of immunosuppressants to induce tolerance. Here, we developed Ag encapsulated NPs comprised of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) [PLG(Ag)] and investigated the mechanism of action for Ag-specific tolerance induction in an autoimmune model of T helper type 1/17 dysfunction - relapse-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE). PLG(Ag) completely abrogated disease induction in an organ specific manner, where the spleen was dispensable for tolerance induction. PLG(Ag) delivered intravenously distributed to the liver, associated with macrophages, and recruited Ag-specific T cells. Furthermore, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) was increased on Ag presenting cells and PD-1 blockade lessened tolerance induction. The robust promotion of tolerance by PLG(Ag) without co-delivery of immunosuppressive drugs, suggests that these NPs effectively deliver antigen to endogenous tolerogenic pathways.

Quantification of particle-conjugated or particle-encapsulated peptides on interfering reagent backgrounds.

Particle-based technologies are increasingly being used in diagnostics and therapeutics. The particles employed in these applications are usually composed of polymers such as poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) and functionalized with peptides or proteins. Peptide or protein conjugation to particles is frequently achieved using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC), while dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is used to retrieve surface-attached or encapsulated peptides or proteins by solubilizing the particles. We examined strategies based on bicinchoninic acid (BSA), Coomassie Plus, and 3-(4-carboxybenzoyl)quinoline-2-carboxaldehyde (CBQCA) assays for the quantification of surface-attached or encapsulated peptides or proteins. We determined that the CBQCA assay is a highly sensitive and accurate substitute for radioactivity-based assays that is suitable for measuring multiple particle-bound or particle-encapsulated peptides or proteins in the presence of EDC or PLG in DMSO, compounds that interfere with the more commonly used BSA and Coomassie Plus assays. Our strategy enables the accurate quantification of peptides or proteins loaded onto or into particles-an essential component of particle-based platform design for diagnostics and therapeutics.