siRNA纳米递送系统研究进展

小干扰RNA (small interfering RNA,siRNA)是RNA干扰的引发物,激发与之互补的目标mRNA沉默,对基因调控及疾病治疗有重要意义。siRNA作为药物需要克服血管屏障、实现细胞内吞及溶酶体逃逸,同时还需要避免核酸酶作用下发生降解。因此,设计合适的纳米载体以帮助siRNA成功递送进细胞并发挥作用是目前siRNA药物发展的重要目标。纳米载体的材料种类、尺寸、结构、表面修饰等精确设计是实现siRNA药物成功递送的重要因素。随着研究的深入和应用的发展,siRNA药物纳米载体的精确控制制备、精准靶向递送及多功能化取得了较好的成果。本文围绕siRNA药物纳米载体,对siRNA药物应用及其递送困难、siRNA药物纳米载体主要设计策略、目前siRNA药物上市情况进行介绍,同时对其未来发展方向进行展望。     

编者按: 转运——小干扰RNA应用领域的瓶颈问题

自20世纪末RNA干扰现象(RNA interference)及其作用机制被发现以来,外源性的小干扰RNA(siRNA)已广泛地用于从基础研究到临床实践的多个领域。但,如何有效地、特异地将siRNA输送进入靶细胞,始终是使用者关注的重点,并已逐步成为siRNA应用于临床治疗的瓶颈问题之一。目前开展研究的siRNA转运方法主要包括3类：a. 通过与配基偶联实现siRNA的转运;b. 将siRNA包载于纳米颗粒等中经内吞进入细胞; c. 载体与细胞膜融合释放所载siRNA进入细胞。 本刊在这期中特意选择了3篇文章组成了一个小专题来介绍与探讨siRNA的输送问题。梁伟等应邀撰写了题为《siRNA脂质纳米输送载体的研究进展》的综述,介绍了siRNA输送载体的基本要求,特别是脂质纳米载体(lipid-based siRNA delivering systems)的设计和构筑原则,以及这类载体的研发现状和应用前景;张洪杰等结合自身的研发工作撰写了《细胞穿透肽及其结构改造在siRNA传递中的应用》一文,从发现、毒副作用、传递机制、结构修饰与传递功能改进等几个方面,系统评述了细胞穿透肽(cell penetrating peptides)在siRNA传递方面研究与应用的进展;张兴梅等在《适配子介导的siRNA转运》一文中重点介绍了基于适配子(aptamer)的siRNA转运系统的转运机制、近期研究进展和应用前景。3篇文章各有侧重,反映了当前siRNA转运研究中几个比较活跃的领域的研究进展,希望能对广大读者有所帮助。     

基于核酸自组装纳米结构的siRNA药物递送研究进展

RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)作为转录后调节机制,可靶向mRNA进行剪切降解从而发挥基因沉默效应.siRNA (small interference RNA)因其高效性和特异性而被广泛应用于药物研究中.目前,研究者们已开发了多种阳离子载体用于siRNA递送.但由于siRNA双链结构具有相对较强的刚性结构,且阴离子电荷密度较低,无法与阳离子载体形成稳定、致密的复合物,使得siRNA的应用仍面临诸多挑战,如细胞摄取率低、靶向特异性差、递送过程不稳定、潜在的细胞毒性以及易诱发免疫反应等.近年来,核酸自组装纳米结构由于其结构灵活且负电荷密度较高而受到广泛关注,有望实现siRNA药物的高效递送和基因沉默.本文综述了近年来基于核酸自组装纳米结构的siRNA递送的研究进展及其应用.     

siRNA抑制乙肝病毒的研究进展

乙型肝炎作为一种发病率高、死亡率高的传染性疾病,已严重威胁人类健康,乙肝病毒(hepatitis B virus,HBV)是诱发乙型肝炎的重要病因。目前,最主要的治疗方法是运用抗病毒药物控制病情,但这些药物都不能完全治愈乙型肝炎且复发率高。近年来,RNA干扰技术(RNA interference,RNAi)逐渐成为有效、快速治疗乙型肝炎的新疗法。利用RNA干扰技术体外合成针对HBV基因的siRNA,选择适当的载体将其运送至靶细胞,使HBV基因沉默,从而抑制病毒复制,可有效达到治疗乙肝的效果。本文围绕siRNA沉默HBV基因的设计原理、递送载体、靶向策略、以及治疗效果与应用前景等方面进行了系统综述,为今后siRNA治疗乙肝的临床应用提供参考。     

单链抗体靶向递送系统在RNA干扰中的应用

RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)是一种由干扰小RNA(small interfering RNA,siRNA)介导的转录后基因沉默.随着医学的发展,通过RNAi来抑制靶基因的表达已经成为一种强有力的研究基因功能、验证药物靶标和治疗多种疾病的方法.然而,RNAi在哺乳动物中的治疗应用却受到基因递送系统的限制,即siRNA在体内递送的靶向性.目前,各种配体,如糖基化分子、肽类、蛋白质、抗体和基因工程抗体片段对于靶向递送siRNA具有巨大的应用潜力.它们改善了基因递送系统的有效性、特异性和安全性.本文主要就单链抗体-鱼精蛋白截短体融合蛋白在 RNAi中的应用进行综述.     

siRNA在治疗学中的应用

小干扰RNA（small interfering RNA,siRNA）是外源性双链RNA（double strand RNA,dsRNA）的加工产物,在细胞内能介导RNA干扰（RNA interference,RNAi）效应,识别特异性mRNA,沉默同源基因表达。其特异性和高效性显示出很高的实用价值,siRNA已成为许多疾病潜在的治疗手段。对于siRNA的应用,尽管还需要在减少非特异反应,发掘高效递药载体,应对新的基因变异等方面进行深入研究,但其可望在抗病毒、神经系统疾病和肿瘤治疗等许多领域发挥治疗作用。     

转运——小干扰RNA应用领域的瓶颈问题

自20世纪末RNA干扰现象(RNA interference)及其作用机制被发现以来,外源性的小干扰RNA(siRNA)已广泛地用于从基础研究到临床实践的多个领域。但,如何有效地、特异地将siRNA输送进入靶细胞,始终是使用者关注的重点,并已逐步成为siRNA应用于临床治疗的瓶颈问题之一。目前开展研究的siRNA转运方法主要包括3类:a.通过与配基偶联实现siRNA的转运;b.将siRNA包载于纳米颗粒等中经内吞进入细胞;c.载体与细胞膜融合释放所载siRNA进入细胞。     

小发夹RNA在稀有(鱼句)鲫胚胎中的表达

由小的干扰RNA(Small interfering RNA,siRNA)介导的RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)是近年来快速发展的一种转录后基因沉默方法,已被广泛的应用于基因功能的研究,基因网络调控的探讨以及疾病的治疗等方面.多数的siRNA表达载体依赖RNA聚合酶Ⅲ启动子中的一种,操纵一段短发夹结构RNA(Small hairpin RNA,shRNA)在细胞或体内表达.这一类启动子主要包括人源和鼠源的U6启动子和人H1启动子等.为了探明鱼类自身的RNA聚合酶Ⅲ启动子是否能有效驱动shRNA在鱼体内表达,从而更好地利用RNAi进行鱼类基因功能和抗病毒研究,研究利用斑马鱼的H1和u6启动子以及草鱼的H1启动子,以草鱼呼肠孤病毒(Grass carp reovirus,GCRV)外衣壳蛋白VP7基因为靶基因,以增强型绿色荧光蛋白(eGFP)为报告基因,分别构建了三个shRNA表达载体:pZH1siGCRV-CMVeGFP、pZU6siGCRV-CMVeGFP和pCH1siGCRV-CMVeGFP.通过显微注射将三种表达载体分别导入稀有(鱼句)鲫(Gobiocypris rarus)受精卵中.由于siRNA片段很短,其表达检测非常困难,研究采用stem-loop RT-PCR方法,对稀有(鱼句)鲫胚胎发育不同时期的shRNA表达进行了检测.研究结果表明,采用的三种鱼类自身的RNA聚合酶Ⅲ启动子均能有效驱动GCRVsiRNA的表达;在取样的各个胚胎发育时期均能检测到GCRV siRNA的表达;stem-loop RT-PCR方法可以便捷检测siRNA的表达.研究构建的鱼类胚胎siRNA有效持续表达载体,建立的简易快捷siRNA检测方法,为进一步的抗GCRV转基因鱼研制以及siRNA的病毒复制干扰机制研究奠定了重要基础并提供有力的技术支撑.     

病虫害RNAi技术中的外源RNA递送策略

病虫害严重威胁着作物安全生产。近年来,在RNA干扰(RNA interference,RNAi)基础上开发病虫害防控策略的研究得到越来越多的关注。RNAi是真核生物体内的一种基因调控过程,如何将外源RNA有效地递送到靶标生物体内,是病虫害RNAi技术能否成功的关键之一。国内外学者进行了大量研究和实践,探究影响病虫害吸收和传递外源双链RNA(double-stranded RNA,dsRNA)的因素,探索提高dsRNA递送效率的方法,取得了重要的进展。本文对相关研究进行了梳理,简述了影响病虫害对dsRNA吸收和递送的因素,对外源RNA的递送策略进行了综述,讨论了纳米颗粒复合物在dsRNA递送中的应用前景,以期为相关研究提供参考。     

Rigid nanoparticle-based delivery of anti-cancer siRNA: Challenges and opportunities

Gene therapy is a promising strategy to treat various genetic and acquired diseases. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a revolutionary tool for gene therapy and the analysis of gene function. However, the development of a safe, efficient, and targetable non-viral siRNA delivery system remains a major challenge in gene therapy. An ideal delivery system should be able to encapsulate and protect the siRNA cargo from serum proteins, exhibit target tissue and cell specificity, penetrate the cell membrane, and release its cargo in the desired intracellular compartment. Nanomedicine has the potential to deal with these challenges faced by siRNA delivery. The unique characteristics of rigid nanoparticles mostly inorganic nanoparticles and allotropes of carbon nanomaterials, including high surface area, facile surface modification, controllable size, and excellent magnetic/optical/electrical properties, make them promising candidates for targeted siRNA delivery. In this review, recent progresses on rigid nanoparticle-based siRNA delivery systems will be summarized.     

Synergistic Transdermal Delivery of Biomacromolecules Using Sonophoresis after Microneedle Treatment

Transdermal drug delivery systems have been studied as an attractive alternative to conventional delivery routes. However, the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, acts as a primary barrier to drug delivery. A synergistic combination of microneedles (MNs) and low-frequency ultrasound (U) was used to enhance the penetration of siRNA and ovalbumin. The specific gene knockdown caused by siRNAs through the RNA interference pathway is more stable when delivered via the transdermal route. Ovalbumin, a representative adjuvant, causes a more efficient immune response in the skin because of the numerous immune cells in the skin. The synergistic transdermal delivery resulted in approximately 7 times and 15 times greater penetration of siRNA and ovalbumin respectively than in their respective negative controls, and histological analysis showed minimal invasion. Thus, as the synergistic transdermal delivery enhanced the penetration of biomacromolecules into the skin, this technique is expected to yield a promising technology for a transdermal drug delivery system.     

Gene delivery by functional inorganic nanocarriers

Gene delivery into cells to elicit cellular response has received a great attention recently. Viruses, lipids, peptides, cationic polymers and certain inorganic nanomaterials have been reported as gene delivery vectors. In this review, we focus on the recent literature on gene delivery using inorganic nanoparticles. This emerging field of study is concisely summarized and illustrated by selected examples and recent patents. New approaches and directions towards the practical use of multifunctional nanocarriers are highlighted.     

综述: 细胞穿透肽及其结构改造在siRNA传递中的应用

小RNA药物应用于临床的主要技术瓶颈在于如何高效、低毒地将小RNA分子传递到它发挥功能的场所．基于细胞穿透肽在小RNA透皮给药的临床应用中所取得的进展,本文系统评述了近年来细胞穿透肽在小RNA的体内、体外传递方面的研究动态,分析了细胞穿透肽的结构改造对肽/小RNA复合物转染进入细胞发挥功能的影响,展望了细胞穿透肽作为小RNA的体内药物传递载体的发展方向．     

New paradigms on siRNA local application

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) functions through pairing with specific mRNA sequences and results in the mRNA’s degradation. It is a potential therapeutic approach for many diseases caused by altered gene expression. The delivery of siRNA is still a major problem due to its rapid degradation in the circulation. Various strategies have been proposed to help with the cellular uptake of siRNA and short or small hairpin RNA (shRNA). Here, we reviewed recently published data regarding local applications of siRNA. Compared with systemic delivery methods, local delivery of siRNA/shRNA has many advantages, such as targeting the specific tissues or organs, mimicking a gene knockout effect, or developing certain diseases models. The eye, brain, and tumor tissues are ‘hot’ target tissues/organs for local siRNA delivery. The siRNA can be delivered locally, in naked form, with chemical modifications, or in formulations with viral or non-viral vectors, such as liposomes and nanoparticles. This review provides a comprehensive overview of RNAi local administration and potential future applications in clinical treatment. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(3): 147-152]     

Efficient and targeted delivery of siRNA in vivo

RNA interference (RNAi) has been regarded as a revolutionary tool for manipulating target biological processes as well as an emerging and promising therapeutic strategy. In contrast to the tangible and obvious effectiveness of RNAi in vitro, silencing target gene expression in vivo using small interfering RNA (siRNA) has been a very challenging task due to multiscale barriers, including rapid excretion, low stability in blood serum, nonspecific accumulation in tissues, poor cellular uptake and inefficient intracellular release. This minireview introduces major challenges in achieving efficient siRNA delivery in vivo and discusses recent advances in overcoming them using chemically modified siRNA, viral siRNA vectors and nonviral siRNA carriers. Enhanced specificity and efficiency of RNAi in vivo via selective accumulations in desired tissues, specific binding to target cells and facilitated intracellular trafficking are also commonly attempted utilizing targeting moieties, cell-penetrating peptides, fusogenic peptides and stimuli-responsive polymers. Overall, the crucial roles of the interdisciplinary approaches to optimizing RNAi in vivo, by efficiently and specifically delivering siRNA to target tissues and cells, are highlighted.     

Applications of RNA interference: current state and prospects for siRNA-based strategies in vivo

Within the recent years, RNA interference (RNAi) has become an almost-standard method for in vitro knockdown of any target gene of interest. Now, one major focus is to further explore its potential in vivo, including the development of novel therapeutic strategies. From the mechanism, it becomes clear that small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) play a pivotal role in triggering RNAi. Thus, the efficient delivery of target gene-specific siRNAs is one major challenge in the establishment of therapeutic RNAi. Numerous studies, based on different modes of administration and various siRNA formulations and/or modifications, have already accumulated promising results. This applies to various animal models covering viral infections, cancer and multiple other diseases. Continuing efforts will lead to the development of efficient and “double-specific” drugs, comprising of siRNAs with high target gene specificity and of nanoparticles enhancing siRNA delivery and target organ specificity.     

Recent Patents in siRNA Delivery Employing Nanoparticles as Delivery Vectors

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are rapidly emerging as new therapeutic tools for the treatment of some of the deadly diseases such as cancer. However, poor cellular uptake and instability in physiological milieu limit its therapeutic potential, hence there arises a need of a delivery system which can efficiently and repeatedly deliver siRNA to the target cells. Nanoparticles have shown immense potential as suitable delivery vectors with enhanced efficacy and biocompatibility. These delivery vectors are usually few nanometers in size, which not only protects siRNA against enzymatic degradation but also leads to tissue and cellular targeting. Nanoparticles prepared from various cationic polymers like polyethylenimine, and chitosan have been largely exploited as they bear several advantages such as, ease of manipulation, high stability, low cost and high payload. This review summarizes some of the recent patents on siRNA delivery employing polymer or lipid-based nano-vectors for therapeutic applications.