Cleavable-Branched Polymer-Modified Liposomes Reduce Accelerated Blood Clearance and Enhance Photothermal Therapy

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces 2023-07, Vol.15 (27), p.32110-32120
• Main Authors: Sui, Dezhi, Wang, Yujie, Sun, Wenliang, Wei, Lu, Li, Changzhi, Gui, Yangxu, Qi, Zhaowei, Liu, Xinrong, Song, Yanzhi, Deng, Yihui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and Medical Applications of Materials and Interfaces; blood; complement; photothermotherapy; spleen; toxicity
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c02762

In recent years, cationic liposomes have been successfully used as delivery platforms for mRNA vaccines. Poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-lipid derivatives are widely used to enhance the stability and reduce the toxicity of cationic liposomes. However, these derivatives are often immunogenic, triggering the rise of anti-PEG antibodies. Understanding the role and impact of PEG-lipid derivatives on PEGylated cationic liposomes is key to solving the PEG dilemma. In this study, we designed linear, branched, and cleavable-branched cationic liposomes modified with PEG-lipid derivatives and investigated the effect of the liposome-induced accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon on photothermal therapy. Our study indicated that the linear PEG-lipid derivatives mediated the effect of photothermal therapy by stimulating splenic marginal zone (MZ) B cells to secrete anti-PEG antibodies and increasing the level of IgM expression in the follicular region of the spleen. However, the cleavable-branched and branched PEG-lipid derivatives did not activate the complement system and avoided the ABC phenomenon by inducing noticeably lower levels of anti-PEG antibodies. The cleavable-branched PEGylated cationic liposomes improved the effect of photothermal therapy by reversing the charge on the liposome surface. This detailed study of PEG-lipid derivatives contributes to the further development and clinical application of PEGylated cationic liposomes.