Evaluation of the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and mucus permeation capacity of several surface modified poly(anhydride) nanoparticles designed for oral drug delivery.

The main concerns with drugs designed for oral administration are their inactivation or degradation in the harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, their poor solubility through the gastrointestinal mucus gel layer, the poor intestinal epithelium permeability that limits their absorption, and their toxicity. In this context, poly(anhydride) nanoparticles are capable of protecting the drug from the harsh environment, reduce the drug's toxicity and, by virtue of surface modification, to enhance or reduce their mucus permeability and the bioadhesion to specific target cells. The copolymer between methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride (commercialized as Gantrez® AN 119) are part of the poly(anhydride) nanoparticles. These biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) can be modified by using different ligands. Their usefulness as drug carriers and their bioadhesion with components of the intestinal mucosa have been described. However, their toxicity, genotoxicity and mucus permeation capacity has not been thoroughly studied. The aim of this work was to evaluate and compare the in vitro toxicity, cell viability and in vitro genotoxicity of the bioadhesive empty Gantrez® AN 119 NPs modified with dextran, aminodextran, 2-hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin, mannosamine and poly-ethylene glycol of different molecular weights. Results showed that, in general, coated NPs exhibit better mucus permeability than the bare ones, those coated with mannosamine being the most permeable ones. The NPs studied did not affect cell metabolism, membrane integrity or viability of Caco-2 cells at the different conditions tested. Moreover, they did not induce a relevant level of DNA strand breaks and FPG-sensitive sites (as detected with the comet assay).

Interactions of poly (anhydride) nanoparticles with macrophages in light of their vaccine adjuvant properties.

Understanding how nanoparticles are formed and how those processes ultimately determine the nanoparticles' properties and their impact on their capture by immune cells is key in vaccination studies. Accordingly, we wanted to evaluate how the previously described poly (anhydride)-based nanoparticles of the copolymer of methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride (NP) interact with macrophages, and how this process depends on the physicochemical properties derived from the method of preparation. First, we studied the influence of the desolvation and drying processes used to obtain the nanoparticles. NP prepared by the desolvation of the polymers in acetone with a mixture of ethanol and water yielded higher mean diameters than those obtained in the presence of water (250nm vs. 180nm). In addition, nanoparticles dried by lyophilization presented higher negative zeta potentials than those dried by spray-drying (-47mV vs. -35mV). Second, the influence of the NP formulation on the phagocytosis by J774 murine macrophage-like cell line was investigated. The data indicated that NPs prepared in the presence of water were at least three-times more efficiently internalized by cells than NPs prepared with the mixture of ethanol and water. Besides, lyophilized nanoparticles appeared to be more efficiently taken up by J744 cells than those dried by spray-drying. To further understand the specific mechanisms involved in the cellular internalization of NPs, different pharmacological inhibitors were used to interfere with specific uptake pathways. Results suggest that the NP formulations, particularly, nanoparticles prepared by the addition of ethanol:water, are internalized by the clathrin-mediated endocytosis, rather than caveolae-mediated mechanisms, supporting their previously described vaccine adjuvant properties.