Galectins have been recognized as potential novel therapeutic targets for the numerous fundamental biological processes in which they are involved. Galectins are key players in homeostasis, and as such their expression and function are finely tuned in vivo. Thus, their modes of action are complex and remain largely unexplored, partly because of the lack of dedicated tools. We thus designed galectin inhibitors from a lactosamine core, functionalized at key C2 and C3' positions by aromatic substituents to ensure both high affinity and selectivity, and equipped with a spacer that can be modified on demand to further modulate their physico-chemical properties. As a proof-of-concept, galectin-3 was selectively targeted. The efficacy of the synthesized di-aromatic lactosamine tools was shown in cellular assays to modulate collective epithelial cell migration and to interfere with actin/cortactin localization.
Glycan microarrays are useful tools for lectin glycan profiling. The use of a glycan microarray based on evanescent-field fluorescence detection was herein further extended to the screening of lectin inhibitors in competitive experiments. The efficacy of this approach was tested with 2/3'-mono- and 2,3'-diaromatic type II lactosamine derivatives and galectins as targets and was validated by comparison with fluorescence anisotropy proposed as an orthogonal protein interaction measurement technique. We showed that subtle differences in the architecture of the inhibitor could be sensed that pointed out the preference of galectin-3 for 2'-arylamido derivatives over ureas, thioureas, and amines and that of galectin-7 for derivatives bearing an α substituent at the anomeric position of glucosamine. We eventually identified a diaromatic oxazoline as a highly specific inhibitor of galectin-3 versus galectin-1 and galectin-7.
Intra-articular (IA) administration of drugs is an appealing route for the effective treatment of large joint diseases. However, a key limitation of this route is the premature elimination of the injected drugs from the synovial cavity. The objective of this work was to develop an easily injectable controlled release system intended to prolong the activity of anti-inflammatory drugs in the articular cavity. The system was an in situ forming hydrogel, made of fibrin and hyaluronic acid (HA), loaded with nanocapsules (NCs). The NCs, consisting of an olive oil core surrounded by a HA shell, were loaded with two different drugs, dexamethasone (DMX) and a galectin-3 inhibitor. They presented a particle size in the range of 122-135 nm and a surface charge of −29/−31 mV. The gelation time, rheological properties and porosity of the system could be adjusted by different parameters, such as addition of fibrin crosslinkers factor XIII and α2-antiplasmin. The non-crosslinked HA-fibrin hydrogels containing 30% (v/v) NCs showed the capacity to control the release of the encapsulated drug, DMX, for 72 h in simulated synovial fluid. The preliminary in vivo evaluation of the system containing a galectin-3 inhibitor in an acute synovitis rat model, showed a suppression of inflammation after IA administration compared with the non-treated control. In brief, this work shows the possibility to combine an in situ forming hydrogel and NCs as a drug delivery strategy for IA administration and suggests its potential for the treatment of arthropathies.
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