Endosome escape, from

Amphipathic peptides are important for the viruses when they enter the interior. Many viruses have amphipathic peptides on their surface. A classic example is Haemophilus influenzae [208]. Amphipathic peptide on the viral surface undergoes a conformational change when the endosomal pH is acidified and, subsequently, this peptide is able to fuse with the endosomal bilayer. Consequently, the virus is able to escape from the endosome to the cytoplasm. Many amphipathic peptides are pH-dependent so that they are activated in the endosomal compartment [219]. 

It has also been reported that antigen delivery to DCs via PLGA particles increased the amount of protein that escaped from endosomes into the cytoplasm. How proteins or peptides encapsulated within PLGA particles become accessible to the cytoplasm is still not clear. It is suggested that the gradual acidification of endosomes leads to protonation of the PLGA polymer, resulting in enhanced hydrophobicity and attachment and rupture of the endosomal membrane [147]. 

Some attempts have been made to rationally increase the efficiency of endosomal escape. One such avenue entails the incorporation of selected hydrophobic (viral) peptides into the gene delivery systems. Many viruses naturally enter animal cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis. These viruses have evolved efficient means of endosomal escape, usually relying upon membrane-disrupting peptides derived from the viral coat proteins. 

Figure 3 Endosomal escape assisted by fusogenic peptides. These peptides assist the release of DNA from the endosome, avoiding degradative damage from the binding with the lysosome.

Figure 1 Endocytosis of liposomes five different routes into the cell. Multiple pathways can be used by the cell to internalize liposomes. Besides the well-characterized clathrin-mediated endocytosis, other pathways can be applied by the cell. Possible alternative pathways include phagocytosis or macropinocytosis—two pathways that internalize by an actin-driven protuberance of the plasma membrane. Other routes include the involvement of caveolae where substances are taken up into the cell bypass the traditional endosome/lysosome system (particles might escape from being degraded in lysosomes). Finally there exists an ill-defined mechanism that is neither mediated by caveolae nor by clathrin. In a single cell type, two or more of these mechanisms can coexist. Source Adapted from Ref 8.

Early endosomes are the main sorting station in the endocytic pathway. In their acidic interior (pH 5.9-6.0), the receptor and its ligand can be released. The receptor may be recycled to the surface by vesicles that fuse with the plasma membrane. Material that cannot escape from the early endosomes is further transported via multivesicular bodies to late endosomes and digesting lysosomes that contain a broad spectrum of peptidases and hydrolases in an acidic surrounding [for reviews on endocytosis see Refs. (10-12), for review on clathrin uptake see Refs. (9,13)]. 

Figure 1 The mode of action for bacterial AB-type exotoxins. AB-toxins are enzymes that modify specific substrate molecules in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells. Besides the enzyme domain (A-domain), AB-toxins have a binding/translocation domain (B-domain) that specifically interacts with a cell-surface receptor and facilitates internalization of the toxin into cellular transport vesicles, such as endosomes. In many cases, the B-domain mediates translocation of the A-domain into the cytosol by pore formation in cellular membranes. By following receptor-mediated endocytosis, AB-type toxins exploit normal vesicle traffic pathways into cells. One type of toxin escapes from early acidified endosomes (EE) into the cytosol, thus they are referred to as short-trip-toxins . In contrast, the long-trip-toxins take a retrograde route from early endosomes (EE) through late endosomes (LE), trans-Golgi network (TGN), and Golgi apparatus into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) from where the A-domains translocate into the cytosol to modify specific substrates.

Due to its ability to form inverted hexagonal phase, DOPE is believed to impart fusogenicity to lipoplexes, thus facilitating fusion followed by destabilization of the endosomal membrane, lipoplex escape from the endosomes, and eventually the DNA release. Indeed, inclusion of DOPE into lipoplexes was shown to enhance considerably the transfection activity of some of the cationic lipid carriers [35,120, 121]. For example, formulations of oxypropyl quaternary ammonium cationic lipids with 50 mol% DOPE have been reported to exhibit 2-5 times higher transfection activity in COS7 cells than formulations with pure cationic lipid (Fig. 29) [35]. Recently, a triple-bond dialkynoyl analog of DOPE has been... 

For effective transfection of the cells, DNAhas to be delivered into the nucleus in a transcribable form. In this process, the vectors may improve cellular uptake, facilitate escape from the endosomal compartment,... 

A current theme in plasmid-based delivery approaches is to mimic Nature s methods for nucleic acid delivery. To date, the best system to emulate Nature has been viral vectors. Briefly, most viral vectors escape immune surveillance, interact with cell membranes (e. g., receptor), internalize (via endocytosis), escape from endosomes, migrate to the nuclear envelope, enter the nucleus, and finally take over cellular functions. Plasmid-based systems (cationic liposomes and cationic polymers) can mimic portions of these events. This chapter will explore the barriers facing gene delivery vectors, with an emphasis of the pharmacokinetic behavior of these systems. In order to understand the in-vivo barrier, a brief review of physiology will be provided. 

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