Xuan Nie,Wei You,Ze Zhang,Fan Gao,Xiao-Hong Zhou,Hai-Li Wang,Long-Hai Wang,Guang Chen,Chang-Hui Wang,Chun-Yan Hong,Qi Shao,Fei Wang,Lei Xia,Yang Li,Ye-Zi You
Gene therapy holds great promise as an effective treatment for many diseases of genetic origin. Gene therapy works by employing cationic polymers, liposomes, and nanoparticles to condense DNA into polyplexes via electronic interactions. Then, a therapeutic gene is introduced into target cells, thereby restoring or changing cellular function. However, gene transfection efficiency remains low in vivo due to high protein binding, poor targeting ability, and substantial endosomal entrapment. Artificial sheaths containing PEG, anions, or zwitterions can be introduced onto the surface of gene carriers to prevent interaction with proteins; however, they reduce the cellular uptake efficacy, endosomal escape, targeting ability, thereby, lowering gene transfection. Here, it is reported that linking dipicolylamine-zinc (DPA-Zn) ions onto polyplex nanoparticles can produce a strong hydration water layer around the polyplex, mimicking the function of PEGylation to reduce protein binding while targeting cancer cells, augmenting cellular uptake and endosomal escape. The polyplexes with a strong hydration water layer on the surface can achieve a high gene transfection even in a 50% serum environment. This strategy provides a new solution for preventing protein adsorption while improving cellular uptake and endosomal escape.
To address the urgent need for effective sonodynamic therapy (SDT), a facile and efficient strategy is developed for fabricating a new class of sonotheranostics. Herein, a Fe(III)-porphyrin nano-sonosensitizer is prepared by a one-step coordination synthesis, and then anchored with Bis(DPA-Zn)-RGD and manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) siRNA. Benefiting from the delicate interactions of the Fe(III)-coordinated nanoformulations, a highly potent sono/gene combinational therapy guided by fluorescence/magnetic resonance imaging is achieved. Importantly, this sonotheranostics significantly enhances the SDT effect of porphyrin through the cancer-targeted delivery capability and enhanced reactive oxygen species production via triple-regulated approaches, including down-regulation of SOD2, depletion of glutathione, and generation of Fenton reaction. This work opens up new perspectives for developing versatile sonotheranostics to overcome the clinical challenges of SDT.