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Pharmaceutics
Special Issues
Delivery System for Biomacromolecule Drugs: Design and Application
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Delivery System for Biomacromolecule Drugs: Design and Application

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Delivery and Controlled Release".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2024 | Viewed by 2845

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Songwei Tan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutics, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Interests: controlled drug delivery; nanotechnology in drug delivery; liposomes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xiaowei Zeng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
Interests: pharmaceutics; nanomedicine; medicinal chemistry; drug delivery; biomaterials; anticancer drugs; cancer therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomacromolecule drugs (also referred to as biologics and biotechnology drugs), which encompass DNA, RNA, peptides, and proteins, have been increasingly occupying a share in the worldwide pharmaceutical market. They are believed to be an effective strategy for treating rare diseases, cancers, and other intractable illnesses. They can also serve as vaccines to safeguard humans against infections and diseases; however, there are substantial challenges in the medical applications of these macromolecules, including their lack of stability in the human body, the crossing of physiological barriers and cell membranes to enter cells, and effectively delivering them to their targets. The design and application of safe and efficient delivery vehicles show great promise in this research area. These vehicles have the ability to protect biomacromolecules, facilitate access to their targets, avoid adverse effects, and ultimately enhance the treatment of diverse diseases.

The aim of this Special Issue is to focus on the design and application of delivery systems for the targeted delivery of biomacromolecule drugs. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: the development of biomaterials for biomacromolecule drug delivery, strategies for designing smart drug delivery systems, and combinations of biomacromolecules and small molecular drugs. This Special Issue will also highlight the challenges and opportunities of biomacromolecule drug delivery in gene therapy, immune therapy, and some other adjuvant therapies. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Songwei Tan
Dr. Xiaowei Zeng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • drug delivery system
  • biomacromolecule
  • protein/peptide
  • DNA
  • RNA
  • gene therapy
  • immune therapy
  • cancer therapy
  • microneedle
  • self-assembly

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 7199 KiB  
Article
TPGS-b-PBAE Copolymer-Based Polyplex Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery and Transfection In Vivo and In Vitro
by Jiahui Ding, Handan Zhang, Tianli Dai, Xueqin Gao, Zhongyuan Yin, Qiong Wang, Mengqi Long and Songwei Tan
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(2), 213; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16020213 - 31 Jan 2024
Viewed by 860
Abstract
Poly (β-amino ester) (PBAE) is an exceptional non-viral vector that is widely used in gene delivery, owing to its exceptional biocompatibility, easy synthesis, and cost-effectiveness. However, it carries a high surface positive charge that may cause cytotoxicity. Therefore, hydrophilic d-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate [...] Read more.
Poly (β-amino ester) (PBAE) is an exceptional non-viral vector that is widely used in gene delivery, owing to its exceptional biocompatibility, easy synthesis, and cost-effectiveness. However, it carries a high surface positive charge that may cause cytotoxicity. Therefore, hydrophilic d-α-tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS) was copolymerised with PBAE to increase the biocompatibility and to decrease the potential cytotoxicity of the cationic polymer-DNA plasmid polyplex nanoparticles (NPs) formed through electrostatic forces between the polymer and DNA. TPGS-b-PBAE (TBP) copolymers with varying feeding molar ratios were synthesised to obtain products of different molecular weights. Their gene transfection efficiency was subsequently evaluated in HEK 293T cells using green fluorescent protein plasmid (GFP) as the model because free GFP is unable to easily pass through the cell membrane and then express as a protein. The particle size, ζ-potential, and morphology of the TBP2-GFP polyplex NPs were characterised, and plasmid incorporation was confirmed through gel retardation assays. The TBP2-GFP polyplex NPs effectively transfected multiple cells with low cytotoxicity, including HEK 293T, HeLa, Me180, SiHa, SCC-7 and C666-1 cells. We constructed a MUC2 (Mucin2)-targeting CRISPR/cas9 gene editing system in HEK 293T cells, with gene disruption supported by oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) insertion in vitro. Additionally, we developed an LMP1 (latent membrane protein 1)-targeting CRISPR/cas9 gene editing system in LMP1-overexpressing SCC7 cells, which was designed to cleave fragments expressing the LMP1 protein (related to Epstein–Barr virus infection) and thus to inhibit the growth of the cells in vivo. As evidenced by in vitro and in vivo experiments, this system has great potential for gene therapy applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Delivery System for Biomacromolecule Drugs: Design and Application)
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20 pages, 3057 KiB  
Article
Mechanistic Insight in Permeability through Different Membranes in the Presence of Pharmaceutical Excipients: A Case of Model Hydrophobic Carbamazepine
by Tatyana Volkova, Olga Simonova and German Perlovich
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(2), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16020184 - 28 Jan 2024
Viewed by 684
Abstract
The present study reports the effects of two pharmaceutical excipients of differing natures—non-ionic surfactant pluronic F127 (F127) and anionic sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD)—on the permeation of the model compound, carbamazepine (CBZ). The permeability coefficients of CBZ at three concentrations of the excipients were measured through [...] Read more.
The present study reports the effects of two pharmaceutical excipients of differing natures—non-ionic surfactant pluronic F127 (F127) and anionic sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD)—on the permeation of the model compound, carbamazepine (CBZ). The permeability coefficients of CBZ at three concentrations of the excipients were measured through two different artificial barriers: hydrophilic cellulose membrane (RC) and lipophilic polydimethylsiloxane–polycarbonate membrane (PDS). The equilibrium solubility of CBZ in F127 and SBE-β-CD solutions was determined. The micellization, complexation, and aggregation tendencies were investigated. Systemically increasing the solubility and the reduction of permeation upon the excipients’ concentration growth was revealed. The quantitative evaluation of the permeability tendencies was carried out using a Pratio parameter, a quasi-equilibrium mathematical mass transport model, and a correction of permeability coefficients for the free drug concentration (“true” permeability values). The results revealed the mutual influence of the excipient properties and the membrane nature on the permeability variations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Delivery System for Biomacromolecule Drugs: Design and Application)
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15 pages, 6963 KiB  
Article
Chitosan-Functionalized Poly(β-Amino Ester) Hybrid System for Gene Delivery in Vaginal Mucosal Epithelial Cells
by Xueqin Gao, Dirong Dong, Chong Zhang, Yuxing Deng, Jiahui Ding, Shiqi Niu, Songwei Tan and Lili Sun
Pharmaceutics 2024, 16(1), 154; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics16010154 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 966
Abstract
Gene therapy displays great promise in the treatment of cervical cancer. The occurrence of cervical cancer is highly related to persistent human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The HPV oncogene can be cleaved via gene editing technology to eliminate carcinogenic elements. However, the successful [...] Read more.
Gene therapy displays great promise in the treatment of cervical cancer. The occurrence of cervical cancer is highly related to persistent human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The HPV oncogene can be cleaved via gene editing technology to eliminate carcinogenic elements. However, the successful application of the gene therapy method depends on effective gene delivery into the vagina. To improve mucosal penetration and adhesion ability, quaternized chitosan was introduced into the poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE) gene-delivery system in the form of quaternized chitosan-g-PBAE (QCP). At a mass ratio of PBAE:QCP of 2:1, the polymers exhibited the highest green fluorescent protein (GFP) transfection efficiency in HEK293T and ME180 cells, which was 1.1 and 5.4 times higher than that of PEI 25 kD. At this mass ratio, PBAE–QCP effectively compressed the GFP into spherical polyplex nanoparticles (PQ–GFP NPs) with a diameter of 255.5 nm. In vivo results indicated that owing to the mucopenetration and adhesion capability of quaternized CS, the GFP transfection efficiency of the PBAE–QCP hybrid system was considerably higher than those of PBAE and PEI 25 kD in the vaginal epithelial cells of Sprague–Dawley rats. Furthermore, the new system demonstrated low toxicity and good safety, laying an effective foundation for its further application in gene therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Delivery System for Biomacromolecule Drugs: Design and Application)
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