Folic acid (FA) is a high affinity ligand (K(d) = 0.1-1 nM) of folate receptors (FRs) responsible for cellular uptake of folates via receptor-mediated endocytosis. FRs are frequently overexpressed in malignant epithelial cells including ovary, brain, kidney, breast, colon, and lung. FR has emerged as a target for the differential-delivery of anticancer chemotherapeutics with several FA-linked therapeutic agents currently undergoing clinical trials. Here we show that by tethering both FA and the anticancer drug methotrexate (MTX) to arabinogalactan (AG), a highly branched natural polysaccharide with unusual water solubility, a targeted biomacromolecular nanovehicle is formed, which can differentially deliver a cytotoxic cargo into FR-overexpressing cells. Moreover, by linking MTX via an endosomally cleavable peptide (GFLG), we demonstrate a target-activated release mechanism. This FA-AG-GFLG-MTX drug conjugate displayed 6.3-fold increased cytotoxic activity to FR-overexpressing cells compared to their FR-lacking counterparts. These findings establish a novel FA-tethered polymeric nanoconjugate for the targeted delivery of antitumor agents into cancer cells overexpressing FR.
c Amphotericin B (AMB) is an effective antifungal agent. However, its therapeutic use is hampered by its toxicity, mainly due to channel formation across kidney cell membranes and the disruption of postendocytic trafficking. We previously described a safe injectable AMB-arabinogalactan (AG) conjugate with neutralized toxicity. Here we studied the mechanism of the toxicity of free AMB and its neutralization by conjugation with AG. AMB treatment of a kidney cell line modulated the trafficking of three receptors (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 [CXCR4], M1 receptor, and human transferrin receptor [hTfnR]) due to an increase in endosomal pH. Similar data were also obtained in yeast but with an increase in vacuolar pH and the perturbation of Hxt2-green fluorescent protein (GFP) trafficking. The conjugation of AMB with AG neutralized all elements of the toxic activity of AMB in mammalian but not in fungal cells. Based on these results, we provide an explanation of how the conjugation of AMB with AG neutralizes its toxicity in mammalian cells and add to the knowledge of the mechanism of action of free AMB in both fungal and mammalian cells. Opportunistic fungal infections have emerged as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in immunodeficient patients (34). Amphotericin B (AMB) is considered one of the most effective antifungal agents; it exhibits wide-spectrum activity against both filamentous and yeast-like fungi, its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles are superior to those of other antifungal agents, and it is fungicidal, in contrast to most azoles which are fungistatic (3,39,53). The fungicidal effect is important, since most patients suffering from invasive fungal infections are immunocompromised (34). However, the infusionrelated and cumulative toxicities, particularly nephrotoxicity (14,20,30), of AMB have resulted in reductions in the routine use of deoxycholate micellar AMB formulations and the development of less-toxic high-cost lipid AMB formulations (16,36). To develop a soluble, less-toxic, and less costly formulation, AMB has been conjugated with various soluble macromolecules (18,37,(47)(48)(49).We conjugated AMB with arabinogalactan (AG) (18), which significantly increased the water solubility of AMB, reduced its toxicity, and resulted in an efficacy similar to that of Fungizone (a deoxycholate micellar formulation) and AmBisome (a lipid-based formulation) (18). AMB-related toxicity is associated with the inductions of interleukin 1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor ␣ (TNF-␣), and apoptosis in organs. These effects were not observed with the AMB-AG conjugate (AMB-AGC), suggesting its potential as a safer formulation for therapeutic use (19). AG is an inexpensive natural product, and the conjugation reactions are performed at room temperature, revealing promise for a potentially low-cost drug. AMB penetrates the plasma membrane (PM) and interacts with its sterols to form transmembrane channels, resulting in the leakage of monovalent ions and metabolites, which leads to cell death (5,22,4...
Soft tissue filler products have become very popular in recent years, with ever-increasing medical and aesthetic indications. While generally considered safe, the number of reported complications with tissue fillers is growing. Nevertheless, there is no specific animal model that is considered as the gold standard for assessing safety or efficacy of tissue fillers, and there are very little data on interspecies differences in reaction to these products. Here, we report on interspecies differences in reaction to a subcutaneous injectable co-polyester, composed of castor oil and citric acid. Comparison of the histopathological local tissue changes following 1-month postimplantation, indicated that in rats the reaction consisted of cavities, surrounded by relatively thin fibrotic enveloping capsule. In contrast, an unexpected severe inflammatory granulomatous reaction was noticed in Sinclair minipigs. To our knowledge, this is the first report on significant interspecies differences in sensitivity to tissue fillers. It emphasizes the importance of using the appropriate animal model for performing preclinical biocompatibility assays for biodegradable polymers, tissue fillers, and implanted medical devices in general. It also makes the Sinclair minipig subject for scrutiny as an animal model in future biocompatibility studies.
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