Design of Highly Potent Lipid-Functionalized Peptidomimetics for Efficient in Vivo siRNA Delivery

RNA interference (RNAi) is a highly efficient approach for gene silencing. Regulation of gene expression at post-transcriptional level provides great potential for curing diseases caused by abnormal overexpression of disease-related genes. However, the application of RNAi in the clinic has been hindered by the lack of efficient and biocompatible delivery systems. Therefore, the development of a safe and tissue-targeted double-stranded interfering RNA (siRNA) carrier for clinical application is urgently needed. Here we report the discovery of a highly efficient liposomal siRNA delivery agent based on a novel peptidomimetic built from natural amino acids. Fine tuning of the composition of amino acids, the type of amide linkage in the peptidomimetic, as well as the formulation and the physicochemical parameters of the novel lipoplex resulted in a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) that efficiently encapsulates and carries siRNA to mouse liver. In vivo experiments showed that a single injection of unmodified siRNA complexed to one of the peptidomimetics at a clinically feasible dose induced significant RNAi in mouse liver, resulting in a 90% decrease in apolipoprotein B (ApoB) mRNA level, as well as a 60% decrease in serum ApoB protein level. Analysis of mouse serum by ELISA indicated that the novel peptidomimetic based lipoplex did not elevate the level of liver enzymes (ALT, AST) in the serum. Our novel peptidomimetic-based lipoplex demonstrated great potential for the development of a safe and efficient siRNA delivery agent for clinical applications.