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Updated: Aug 20, 2025

Fabrication of Anisotropic Polymeric Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells for CD8+ T Cell Activation
Published on: October 12, 2018
Chiral-Selective Antigen-Presentation by Supramolecular Chiral Polymer Micelles
Hejin Jiang1, Rui Liu1, Lu Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Nanomedicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China.
Chiral polymer micelles with D-chirality exhibit reduced toxicity and enhanced immune cell interactions. This D-chirality significantly boosts T cell proliferation, offering potential for novel nanotherapeutics in disease treatment.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Immunology
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Chirality is fundamental to biological systems, influencing life processes and disease.
- The interaction between synthetic chiral materials and the immune system is not well understood.
- Cationic polymers often exhibit toxicity, limiting their biomedical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of chirality in synthetic materials on immune responses.
- To develop supramolecular chiral polymer micelles (SCPMs) for enhanced antigen presentation and reduced toxicity.
- To evaluate the efficacy of D-chirality in stimulating adaptive immunity.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of SCPMs by complexing antigenic proteins with chiral amino acid-modified polyethyleneimine.
- Assessment of cytotoxicity and immune cell interactions (dendritic cells) with D-, L-, and achiral SCPMs.
- In vivo immunization studies in mice to evaluate T cell proliferation and immune activation.
Main Results:
- D-chirality demonstrated the lowest cytotoxicity compared to L-chirality and achiral counterparts.
- D-SCPMs promoted higher expression of costimulatory molecules on dendritic cells.
- Immunization with D-SCPMs led to significant antigen-specific T cell proliferation in mice.
- Chirality-mediated antigen processing and presentation were confirmed using various antigenic proteins.
Conclusions:
- Chirality in synthetic materials, particularly D-chirality, can modulate immune responses effectively.
- SCPMs offer a promising platform for developing safer and more potent nanotherapeutics.
- D-chirality enhances dendritic cell maturation and T cell activation, paving the way for new disease prevention and treatment strategies.
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