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Peptide-mediated targeting of liposomes to TrkB receptor-expressing cells

Sanjeev Ranjan1, Rohit Sood, Jozsef Dudas

  • 1Helsinki Biophysics and Biomembrane Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Computational Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.

International Journal of Nanomedicine
|August 1, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Targeted liposomes effectively bind and are internalized by TrkB-expressing cells. This peptide-conjugated liposome (PCL) delivery system shows promise for TrkB-targeted therapies in neuroblastoma and other cancers.

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Nanomedicine
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • The neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) plays critical roles in both neuronal survival and tumor cell signaling, making it a target for neuroblastoma and other cancers.
  • TrkB's dual role necessitates targeted delivery strategies for therapeutic intervention, balancing its function in neurons versus tumor cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the feasibility of targeting TrkB-expressing cells using peptide-conjugated liposomes (PCL).
  • To evaluate the binding and internalization efficiency of TrkB-targeted PCL in relevant cell models.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized flow cytometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy to monitor PCL binding and internalization.
  • Employed TrkB-expressing mouse macrophage-like RAW264 cells and human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells (treated with all-trans-retinoic acid).

Main Results:

  • TrkB-targeted PCL demonstrated enhanced and faster internalization by RAW264 cells compared to scrambled peptide controls.
  • Augmented binding and uptake of targeted PCL were observed in TrkB-positive SH-SY5Y cells, with cytoplasmic localization within 20 minutes.

Conclusions:

  • Demonstrated the successful targeting of liposomes to TrkB-expressing cells using 18-mer peptides.
  • Confirmed that targeted PCL promotes cellular uptake, at least partially into endosomes, via receptor-mediated pathways.
Keywords:
liposomespeptidetargetingtyrosine kinase B

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