Simultaneous Delivery of Doxorubicin and Protease Inhibitor Derivative to Solid Tumors via Star-Shaped Polymer Nanomedicines Overcomes P-gp- and STAT3-Mediated Chemoresistance.

The derivative of protease inhibitor ritonavir (5-methyl-4-oxohexanoic acid ritonavir ester; RD) was recently recognized as a potent P-gp inhibitor and cancerostatic drug inhibiting the proteasome and STAT3 signaling. Therefore, we designed high-molecular-weight HPMA copolymer conjugates with a PAMAM dendrimer core bearing both doxorubicin (Dox) and RD (Star-RD + Dox) to increase the circulation half-life to maximize simultaneous delivery of Dox and RD into the tumor. Star-RD inhibited P-gp activity, potently sensitizing both low- and high-P-gp-expressing cancer cells to the cytostatic and proapoptotic activity of Dox in vitro. Star-RD + Dox possessed higher cytostatic and proapoptotic activities compared to Star-Dox and the equivalent mixture of Star-Dox and Star-RD in vitro. Star-RD + Dox efficiently inhibited STAT3 signaling and induced caspase-3 activation and DNA fragmentation in cancer cells in vivo. Importantly, Star-RD + Dox was found to have superior antitumor activity in terms of tumor growth inhibition and increased survival of mice bearing P-gp-expressing tumors.

Polymer-ritonavir derivate nanomedicine with pH-sensitive activation possesses potent anti-tumor activity in vivo via inhibition of proteasome and STAT3 signaling.

Drug repurposing is a promising strategy for identifying new applications for approved drugs. Here, we describe a polymer biomaterial composed of the antiretroviral drug ritonavir derivative (5-methyl-4-oxohexanoic acid ritonavir ester; RD), covalently bound to HPMA copolymer carrier via a pH-sensitive hydrazone bond (P-RD). Apart from being more potent inhibitor of P-glycoprotein in comparison to ritonavir, we found RD to have considerable cytostatic activity in six mice (IC50 ~ 2.3-17.4 µM) and six human (IC50 ~ 4.3-8.7 µM) cancer cell lines, and that RD inhibits the migration and invasiveness of cancer cells in vitro. Importantly, RD inhibits STAT3 phosphorylation in CT26 cells in vitro and in vivo, and expression of the NF-κB p65 subunit, Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 in vitro. RD also dampens chymotrypsin-like and trypsin-like proteasome activity and induces ER stress as documented by induction of PERK phosphorylation and expression of ATF4 and CHOP. P-RD nanomedicine showed powerful antitumor activity in CT26 and B16F10 tumor-bearing mice, which, moreover, synergized with IL-2-based immunotherapy. P-RD proved very promising therapeutic activity also in human FaDu xenografts and negligible toxicity predetermining these nanomedicines as side-effect free nanosystem. The therapeutic potential could be highly increased using the fine-tuned combination with other drugs, i.e. doxorubicin, attached to the same polymer system. Finally, we summarize that described polymer nanomedicines fulfilled all the requirements as potential candidates for deep preclinical investigation.

HPMA-Based Copolymers Carrying STAT3 Inhibitor Cucurbitacin-D as Stimulus-Sensitive Nanomedicines for Oncotherapy.

The study describes the synthesis, physicochemical properties, and biological evaluation of polymer therapeutics based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers intended for a tumor-targeted immuno-oncotherapy. Water-soluble linear and cholesterol-containing HPMA precursors were synthesized using controlled reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization to reach molecular weight Mn about 2 × 104 g·mol-1 and low dispersity. These linear or self-assembled micellar conjugates, containing immunomodulatory agent cucurbitacin-D (CuD) or the anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) covalently bound by the hydrolytically degradable hydrazone bond, showed a hydrodynamic size of 10-30 nm in aqueous solutions. The CuD-containing conjugates were stable in conditions mimicking blood. Importantly, a massive release of active CuD in buffer mimicking the acidic tumor environment was observed. In vitro, both the linear (LP-CuD) and the micellar (MP-CuD) conjugates carrying CuD showed cytostatic/cytotoxic activity against several cancer cell lines. In a murine metastatic and difficult-to-treat 4T1 mammary carcinoma, only LP-CuD showed an anticancer effect. Indeed, the co-treatment with Dox-containing micellar polymer conjugate and LP-CuD showed potentiation of the anticancer effect. The results indicate that the binding of CuD, characterized by prominent hydrophobic nature and low bioavailability, to the polymer carrier allows a safe and effective delivery. Therefore, the conjugate could serve as a potential component of immuno-oncotherapy schemes within the next preclinical evaluation.

Polymer nanomedicines based on micelle-forming amphiphilic or water-soluble polymer-doxorubicin conjugates: Comparative study of in vitro and in vivo properties related to the polymer carrier structure, composition, and hydrodynamic properties.

The study compared the physico-chemical and biological properties of a water-soluble star-like polymer nanomedicine with three micellar nanomedicines formed by self-assembly of amphiphilic copolymers differing in their hydrophobic part (statistical, block and thermosensitive block copolymers). All nanomedicines showed a pH-responsive release of the drug, independent on polymer structure. Significant penetration of all polymer nanomedicines into tumor cells in vitro was demonstrated, where the most pronounced effect was observed for statistical- or diblock copolymer-based micellar systems. Tumor accumulation in vivo was dependent on the stability of the nanomedicines in solution, being the highest for the star-like system, followed by the most stable micellar nanomedicines. The star-like polymer nanomedicine showed a superior therapeutic effect. Since the micellar systems exhibited slightly lower systemic toxicity, they may exhibit the same efficacy as the star-like soluble system when administered at equitoxic doses. In conclusion, treatment efficacy of studied nanomedicines was directly controlled by the drug pharmacokinetics, namely by their ability to circulate in the bloodstream for the time needed for effective accumulation in the tumor due to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Easy and scalable synthesis together with the direct reconstitution possibility for nanomedicine application made these nanomedicines excellent candidates for further clinical evaluation.

Bloodstream Stability Predetermines the Antitumor Efficacy of Micellar Polymer-Doxorubicin Drug Conjugates with pH-Triggered Drug Release.

Herein, the biodegradable micelle-forming amphiphilic N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide (HPMA)-based polymer conjugates with the anticancer drug doxorubicin (Dox) designed for enhanced tumor accumulation were investigated, and the influence of their stability in the bloodstream on biodistribution, namely, tumor uptake, and in vivo antitumor efficacy were evaluated in detail. Dox was attached to the polymer carrier by a hydrazone bond enabling pH-controlled drug release. While the polymer-drug conjugates were stable in a buffer at pH 7.4 (mimicking bloodstream environment), Dox was released in a buffer under mild acidic conditions modeling the tumor microenvironment or cells. The amphiphilic polymer carriers differed in the structure of hydrophobic cholesterol derivative moieties bound to the HPMA copolymers via a hydrolyzable hydrazone bond, exhibiting different rates of micellar structure disintegration at various pH values. Considerable dependence of the studied polymer-drug conjugate biodistribution on the stability of the micellar structure was observed in neutral, bloodstream-mimicking, environment, showing that a faster rate of the micelle disintegration in pH 7.4 increased the conjugate blood clearance, decreased tumor accumulation, and significantly reduced the tumor:blood and tumor:muscle ratios. Similarly, the final therapeutic outcome was strongly affected by the stability of the micellar structure because the most stable micellar conjugate showed an almost similar therapeutic outcome as the water-soluble, nondegradable, high-molecular-weight starlike HPMA copolymer-Dox conjugate, which was highly efficient in the treatment of solid tumors in mice. Based on the results, we conclude that the bloodstream stability of micellar polymer-anticancer drug conjugates, in addition to their low side toxicity, is a crucial parameter for their efficient solid tumor accumulation and high in vivo antitumor activity.

Polymer donors of nitric oxide improve the treatment of experimental solid tumours with nanosized polymer therapeutics.

Polymer carriers based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers with incorporated organic nitrates as nitric oxide (NO) donors were designed with the aim to localise NO generation in solid tumours, thus highly increasing the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. The NO donors were coupled to the polymer carrier either through a stable bond or through a hydrolytically degradable, pH sensitive, bond. In vivo, the co-administration of the polymer NO donor and HPMA copolymer-bound cytotoxic drug (doxorubicin; Dox) resulted in an improvement in the treatment of murine EL4 T-cell lymphoma. The polymer NO donors neither potentiated the in vitro toxicity of the cytotoxic drug nor exerted any effect on in vivo model without the EPR effect, such as BCL1 leukaemia. Thus, an increase in passive accumulation of the nanomedicine carrying cytotoxic drug via NO-enhanced EPR effect was the operative mechanism of action. The most significant improvement in the therapy was observed in a combination treatment with such a polymer conjugate of Dox, which is characterised by increased circulation in the blood and efficient accumulation in solid tumours. Notably, the combination treatment enabled the development of an anti-tumour immune response, which was previously demonstrated as an important feature of HPMA-based polymer cytotoxic drugs.

The structure of polymer carriers controls the efficacy of the experimental combination treatment of tumors with HPMA copolymer conjugates carrying doxorubicin and docetaxel.

The tumor-specific targeting of cancerostatics using polymer drug carriers represents a potential strategy to achieve an effective treatment with reduced side toxicity. Synthetic water-soluble copolymers based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) are carriers with tunable architecture and drug loading, tumor-specific accumulation of the drug, and its controlled release. We describe a combination treatment of murine EL4 T cell lymphoma with HPMA-based star conjugates (Mw 250,000gmol-1) of doxorubicin (Dox) or docetaxel (Dtx) designed for enhanced tumor accumulation and combination therapy. Although the combination of linear conjugates (Mw=28,000gmol-1) containing Dox or Dtx resulted in an additive effect in the treatment of the lymphoma, the opposite was observed in the combination of two star conjugates with Dox or Dtx, as the star Dtx conjugate decreased the treatment efficacy of the star Dox conjugate. The Dtx conjugate alone was virtually ineffective in the reduction of tumor growth or survival time extension; thus, a curative effect could be solely attributed to the Dox-containing conjugate. When Dtx was delivered to the tumor on the same polymer carrier as Dox, the efficacy of the Dox-induced treatment was reduced to a lesser extent. No reduction was found when Dtx was delivered by a linear polymer or applied as a free drug. The phenomenon was strictly related to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, as it was not observed in BCL1 leukemia, a model without EPR. The diminished treatment outcome in the combination therapy with the two star conjugates was underlined by the significantly decreased accumulation of Dox in the tumor. The use of the drug-free polymer carrier instead of the Dtx-containing star conjugate did not reduce the treatment efficacy of the Dox conjugate. Thus, the physicochemical characteristics of the polymer carrier designed for tumor-specific drug delivery systems control the activity of the respective drug, leading to changes within the tumor microenvironment that can determine ultimate efficacy of the combination therapy.

Overcoming multidrug resistance via simultaneous delivery of cytostatic drug and P-glycoprotein inhibitor to cancer cells by HPMA copolymer conjugate.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a common cause of failure in chemotherapy for malignant diseases. MDR is either acquired as a result of previous repeated exposure to cytostatic drugs (P388/MDR cells) or naturally, as some tumors are congenitally resistant to chemotherapy (CT26 cells). One of the most common mechanisms of MDR is upregulation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression. Here, we used HPMA copolymer conjugates, whereby the cytostatic drug doxorubicin (Dox) or the derivative of the P-gp inhibitor reversin 121 (R121) or both were covalently bound through a degradable pH-sensitive hydrazone bond. We proved that R121, when bound to a polymeric carrier, is capable of inhibiting P-gp in P388/MDR cells and sensitizing them in relation to the cytostatic activity of Dox. Conjugate bearing both Dox and R121 was found to be far more potent in P388/MDR cells than conjugate bearing Dox alone or a mixture of conjugates bearing either Dox or R121 when cytostatic activity in vitro, cell cycle arrest, accumulation of Dox in cells and induction of apoptosis were determined. Importantly, conjugate bearing R121 is also effective in vivo as it inhibits P-gp in P388/MDR tumors after intraperitoneal administration, while both the conjugate bearing Dox and R121 induces apoptosis in P388/MDR tumors more effectively than conjugate bearing Dox alone. Only conjugate bearing Dox and R121 significantly inhibited P388/MDR tumor growth and led to the prolonged survival of treated mice. However, the most dramatic antitumor activity of this conjugate was found in the CT26 tumor model where it completely cured six out of eight experimental mice, while conjugate bearing Dox alone cured no mice.

The structure-dependent toxicity, pharmacokinetics and anti-tumour activity of HPMA copolymer conjugates in the treatment of solid tumours and leukaemia.

Polymer drug carriers that are based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) copolymers have been widely used in the development and synthesis of high-molecular-weight (HMW) drug delivery systems for cancer therapy. In this study, we compared linear (Mw ~27kDa, Rh ~4nm) and non-degradable star (Mw ~250kDa, Rh ~13nm) HPMA copolymer conjugates bearing anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin (DOX) bound via pH-sensitive hydrazone bond. We determined the in vitro and in vivo toxicity of both conjugates and their maximum tolerated dose (MTD). We also compared their anti-tumour activity in mouse B-cell leukaemia (BCL1) and a mouse T-cell lymphoma (EL4) model. We found that MTD was higher for the linear conjugate (85mgDOX/kg) and lower for the star conjugate (22.5mgDOX/kg). An evaluation of the intestinal barrier integrity using FITC-dextran as a gut permeability tracer proved that no pathology was caused by the MTD of either conjugate. However, free DOX showed some damage to the gut barrier. The therapy of BCL1 leukaemia by both of the polymeric conjugates using the MTD or its fraction (i.e., equitoxic dosage) showed better results in the case of the star conjugate. On the other hand, treatment of EL4 lymphoma seemed to be more efficient when the linear conjugate was used. We suppose that the anti-cancer treatment of solid tumours and leukaemias requires different types of drug conjugates. We hypothesise that the most suitable HPMA copolymer-DOX conjugate for the treatment of solid tumours should have an HMW structure with increased Rh that would be stable for three to four days after the conjugate administration and then rapidly disintegrate in the short polymer chains, which are excretable from the body by glomerular filtration. On the other hand, the treatment of leukaemia requires a drug conjugate with a long circulation half-life. This would provide an active drug, whilst slowly degrading to excretable fragments.

Novel IL-2-Poly(HPMA)Nanoconjugate Based Immunotherapy.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) possesses a strong stimulatory activity for activated T and NK cells and it is an attractive molecule for immunotherapy. Nevertheless, extremely short half-life and severe toxicities associated with high-dose IL-2 treatment are serious and limiting drawbacks. In order to increase IL-2 half-life in vivo, we covalently conjugated synthetic semitelechelic polymeric carrier based on N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) to IL-2. Thus, we synthesized IL-2-poly(HPMA) conjugate containing 2-3 polymer chains per IL-2 molecule in average. Such conjugate has lower biologic activity in comparison to IL-2 in vitro. However, it exerts much higher activity than IL-2 in vivo as shown by expansion of memory CD8+ T, NK, NKT, γδT and Treg cells. Moreover, IL-2-poly(HPMA) extremely effectively potentiates CD8+ T cell peptide-based vaccination. IL-2-poly(HPMA) shows also much longer half-time in circulation than IL-2 (-4 h versus -5 min). Collectively, modification of IL-2 with poly(HPMA) chains dramatically improves its potency and pharmacologic features in vivo, which have implications for immunotherapy. To our knowledge, this is the first proof-of-concept report of the use of polymer/protein modification of IL-2 to obtain more pronounced biological activity.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts are not formed from cancer cells by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in nu/nu mice.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts are bioactive elements influencing the biological properties of malignant tumors. Their origin from different cell types has been established, and the possibility of their formation by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition from cancer cells is under debate. This study shows that human cancer cells grafted to nu/nu mice induced formation of tumor stroma with the presence of typical smooth muscle actin-containing cancer-associated fibroblasts. These cells seem to be of the host origin because they are not recognized by an antibody specific for human vimentin, as was also verified in vitro. These results suggest that cancer-associated stromal fibroblasts are not formed by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition from cancer cells.

Polymer conjugates of doxorubicin bound through an amide and hydrazone bond: Impact of the carrier structure onto synergistic action in the treatment of solid tumours.

In this study, we describe the synthesis, physico-chemical characterisation and results of the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of the biological behaviour of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide-based (HPMA) copolymer conjugates bearing doxorubicin (DOX) partly bound via a pH-sensitive hydrazone and partly via enzymatically degradable amide bonds, each contributing to a different anti-tumour mechanism of action of the polymer-doxorubicin conjugate. The following two types of HPMA copolymer drug carriers designed for passive tumour targeting were synthesised and compared: the linear non-degradable copolymer and the biodegradable high-molecular-weight (HMW) diblock copolymer. The HMW diblock copolymer carrier containing a degradable disulphide bond between the polymer blocks showed a rapid degradation in a buffer containing glutathione within the first few hours of incubation. In contrast to the conjugate with the amide bond-bound DOX requiring the presence of lysosomal enzymes to release DOX, the polymer-drug conjugate with the DOX bound via a hydrazone bond released DOX by pH-sensitive hydrolysis, which was significantly faster in a buffer of pH 5.0 (intracellular pH) than pH 7.4, mimicking the conditions in the bloodstream. The significant and comparable in vivo anti-tumour activity of the diblock HMW conjugate and an equimolar mixture of the conjugates differing in the DOX attachment method along with the development of cancer resistance during treatment with these conjugates demonstrated the high potential of these compounds in the development of new nanomedicines suitable for the treatment of solid tumours.

Immunocompatibility evaluation of hydrogel-coated polyimide implants for applications in regenerative medicine.

Immunocompatibility of gelatin-based hydrogels to be applied as implant coatings for local regenerative treatment has been studied. First, the bio- and immuno-acceptability of the methacrylamide-modified gelatin hydrogels per se was screened. The results indicated that the hydrogels support cell growth. Metabolic activity of normal cells and permanent cell lines representing various cell types (endothelial, epithelial, fibroblast, and monocyte/macrophage) cultivated on the gelatin hydrogels was moderately lower compared to cells cultivated on tissue culture plastic. The cells cultivated on the hydrogels produced identical cytokines as the control cells although at lower levels. Importantly, no inflammatory activity, measured by nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1α, IL-6, and TNFα) production, was observed in peritoneal cells and monocyte/macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line cultivated on the hydrogels. Finally, polyimide (PI) implantable membranes were surface-modified with gelatin hydrogels and screened for their in vivo immunocompatibility. Their histological examination performed after subcutaneous implantation in mice produced a sound proof of immunoacceptability. Normal tissue repair, mild cellular infiltration and edema mainly induced by the surgery were observed after 2 and 6 days. No adverse tissue responses were induced by the implants. Analysis performed after 4 and 9 weeks indicated areas of foreign body granuloma without formation of a fibrous capsule.

HPMA copolymer conjugates of DOX and mitomycin C for combination therapy: physicochemical characterization, cytotoxic effects, combination index analysis, and anti-tumor efficacy.

The synthesis, characterization and results of evaluation of the biological behavior of HPMA copolymer conjugates bearing anti-cancer drugs doxorubicin and mitomycin C are described. Two HPMA copolymer carrier types were synthesized: the linear copolymer and the biodegradable high-molecular-weight diblock copolymer containing a degradable disulfide bond. The polymer-drug conjugates incubated in buffers modeling the intracellular environment released the drugs more rapidly than those incubated in bloodstream conditions. Significant in vitro and in vivo antitumor synergistic activity of the conjugates in the treatment of EL-4 T-cell demonstrates their high potential for solid tumor treatment.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy proves increased T-lymphocyte proliferation in tumor and decreased metastatic infiltration after treatment with doxorubicin bound to PHPMA copolymer carrier.

INTRODUCTION: Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is an easy method with an option of repetitive withdrawal of cell material. METHODS: First, mice were inoculated with mouse T-lymphoma, after 10 d the samples from tumor, lymph nodes and spleen gained by FNAB and excision were analyzed by flow cytometry. Tumor progression was compared to the control group simultaneously. Then, 10 d after tumor cell inoculation free doxorubicin (DOX) or different PHPMA DOX conjugates were injected. Cell material was analyzed to detect subpopulations of lymphocyte infiltrate, and levels of cytokines in correlation with progression or regression of the disease. RESULTS: FNAB has no influence on the tumor's growth or survival of experimental animals. After treatment with PHPMA conjugates there was a significant increase of T-lymphocyte subpopulations in tumor microenvironment compared to controls or free DOX, but only in mice with confirmed macroscopic regression of tumor within two weeks. Mice treated with conjugates showed significantly lower cancer infiltration of lymph nodes and spleen. CONCLUSION: FNAB provides a great benefit to in vivo monitoring of cell changes directly in the tumor after treatment. The number of infiltrating T-lymphocytes increases in correlation with consecutive tumor eradication after treatment with PHPMA. This proves that not only direct cytotoxic but also imunostimulating effect are necessary for successful treatment.

Chimera of IL-2 linked to light chain of anti-IL-2 mAb mimics IL-2/anti-IL-2 mAb complexes both structurally and functionally.

IL-2/anti-IL-2 mAb immunocomplexes were described to have dramatically higher activity than free IL-2 in vivo. We designed protein chimera consisting of IL-2 linked to light chain of anti-IL-2 mAb S4B6 through flexible oligopeptide spacer (Gly(4)Ser)(3). This protein chimera mimics the structure of IL-2/S4B6 mAb immunocomplexes but eliminates general disadvantages of immunocomplexes like possible excess of either IL-2 or anti-IL-2 mAb and their dissociation to antibody and IL-2 at low concentrations. This novel kind of protein chimera is characterized by an intramolecular interaction between IL-2 and binding site of S4B6 mAb similarly as in IL-2/S4B6 mAb immunocomplexes. Our protein chimera has biological activity comparable to IL-2/S4B6 mAb immunocomplexes in vitro, as shown by stimulation of proliferation of purified and activated OT-I CD8(+) T cells. The protein chimera exerts higher stimulatory activity to drive expansion of purified CFSE-labeled OT-I CD8(+) T cells activated by an injection of a low dose of SIINFEKL peptide than IL-2/S4B6 mAb immunocomplexes in vivo.

Combination chemotherapy using core-shell nanoparticles through the self-assembly of HPMA-based copolymers and degradable polyester.

The preparation of core-shell polymeric nanoparticles simultaneously loaded with docetaxel (DTXL) and doxorubicin (DOX) is reported herein. The self-assembly of the aliphatic biodegradable copolyester PBS/PBDL (poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene dilinoleate)) and HPMA-based copolymers (N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide-based copolymers) hydrophobically modified by the incorporation of cholesterol led to the formation of narrow-size-distributed (PDI<0.10) sub-200-nm polymeric nanoparticles suitable for passive tumor-targeting drug delivery based on the size-dependent EPR (enhanced permeability and retention) effect. The PHPMA provided to the self-assembled nanoparticle stability against aggregation as evaluated in vitro. The highly hydrophobic drug docetaxel (DTXL) was physically entrapped within the PBS/PBDL copolyester core and the hydrophilic drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX·HCl) was chemically conjugated to the reactive PHPMA copolymer shell via hydrazone bonding that allowed its pH-sensitive release. This strategy enabled the combination chemotherapy by the simultaneous DOX and DTXL drug delivery. The structure of the nanoparticles was characterized in detail using static (SLS), dynamic (DLS) and electrophoretic (ELS) light scattering besides transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The use of nanoparticles simultaneously loaded with DTXL and DOX provided a more efficient suppression of tumor-cell growth in mice bearing EL-4 T cell lymphoma when compared to the effect of nanoparticles loaded with either DTXL or DOX separately. Additionally, the obtained self-assembled nanoparticles enable further development of targeting strategies based on the use of multiple ligands attached to an HPMA copolymer on the particle surface for simultaneous passive and active targeting and different combination therapies.

Polymer carriers for anticancer drugs targeted to EGF receptor.

A novel actively targeted polymer carrier for anticancer drugs based on an N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide copolymer (PHPMA) is proposed. An oligopeptide sequence GE7, attached to the polymer, is a specific ligand for the EGF receptor overexpressed on most tumor cells. Co-attachment of selected chemotherapeutics will therefore lead to formation of tumor-specific polymer therapeutics, further enhanced by the EPR effect. FACS measurements prove elevated binding activity of the fluorescently labeled PHPMA/GE7 conjugate in EGFR-rich cells (FaDu, MCF-7), compared to conjugates of scrambled peptides. Cell lines with low EGFR level (SW620, B16F10) bind the GE7 conjugate significantly less.

Dimerization of an immunoactivating peptide derived from mycobacterial hsp65 using N-hydroxysuccinimide based bifunctional reagents is critical for its antitumor properties.

We have shown previously that a short pentapeptide derived from the mycobacterial heat shock protein hsp65 can be highly activating for the immune system based on its strong reactivity with the early activation antigen of lymphocytes CD69. Here, we investigated an optimal form of presentation of this antigen to the cells of the immune system. Four different forms of the dimerized heptapeptide LELTEGY, and of the control inactive dimerized heptapeptide LELLEGY that both contained an extra UV active glycine-tyrosine sequence, were prepared using dihydroxysuccinimidyl oxalate (DSO), dihydroxysuccinimidyl tartarate (DST), dihydroxysuccinimidyl glutarate (DSG), and dihydroxysuccinimidyl suberate (DSS), respectively. Heptapeptides dimerized through DST and DSG linkers had optimal activity in CD69 precipitation assay. Moreover, dimerization of active heptapeptide resulted in a remarkable increase in its proliferation activity and production of cytokines in vitro. Furthermore, while DST and DSG dimerized heptapeptides both significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells in vitro, only the DSG dimerized compound was active in suppressing growth of melanoma tumors in mice and in enhancing the cytotoxic activity of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes ex vivo. Thus, while the dimerization of the immunoactive peptide caused a dramatic increase in its immunoactivating properties, its in vivo anticancer properties were influenced by the chemical nature of linker used for its dimerization.