Effect of Cholesterol Content of Lipid Composition in mRNA-LNPs on the Protein Expression in the Injected Site and Liver After Local Administration in Mice.

Delivery of messenger RNA (mRNA) using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) is expected to be applied to various diseases following the successful clinical use of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the cholesterol molar percentage of mRNA-LNPs on protein expression in hepatocellular carcinoma-derived cells and in the liver after intramuscular or subcutaneous administration of mRNA-LNPs in mice. For mRNA-LNPs with cholesterol molar percentages reduced to 10 mol% and 20 mol%, we formulated neutral charge particles with a diameter of approximately 100 nm and polydispersity index (PDI) <0.

Stability Study of mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticles Exposed to Various Conditions Based on the Evaluation between Physicochemical Properties and Their Relation with Protein Expression Ability.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are currently in the spotlight as delivery systems for mRNA therapeutics and have been used in the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA-LNP formulations have been indicated to require strict control, including maintenance at fairly low temperatures during their transport and storage. Since it is a new pharmaceutical modality, there is a lack of information on the systematic investigation of how storage and handling conditions affect the physicochemical properties of mRNA-LNPs and their protein expression ability.

Efficient Messenger RNA Delivery to the Kidney Using Renal Pelvis Injection in Mice.

Renal dysfunction is often associated with the inflammatory cascade, leading to non-reversible nephrofibrosis. Gene therapy has the ability to treat the pathology. However, the difficulty in introducing genes into the kidney, via either viral vectors or plasmid DNA (pDNA), has hampered its extensive clinical use.

Suppression of Peritoneal Fibrosis by Sonoporation of Hepatocyte Growth Factor Gene-Encoding Plasmid DNA in Mice.

Gene therapy is expected to be used for the treatment of peritoneal fibrosis, which is a serious problem associated with long-term peritoneal dialysis. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a well-known anti-fibrotic gene. We developed an ultrasound and nanobubble-mediated (sonoporation) gene transfection system, which selectively targets peritoneal tissues.

Effects of Tissue Pressure on Transgene Expression Characteristics via Renal Local Administration Routes from Ureter or Renal Artery in the Rat Kidney.

We previously developed a renal pressure-mediated transfection method (renal pressure method) as a kidney-specific in vivo gene delivery system. However, additional information on selecting other injection routes and applicable animals remains unclear. In this study, we selected renal arterial and ureteral injections as local administration routes and evaluated the characteristics of gene delivery such as efficacy, safety, and distribution in pressured kidney of rat.

Determining Transgene Expression Characteristics Using a Suction Device with Multiple Hole Adjusting a Left Lateral Lobe of the Mouse Liver.

We developed a tissue suction-mediated transfection method (suction method) as a relatively reliable and less invasive technique for in vivo transfection. In this study, we determined hepatic transgene expression characteristics in the mouse liver, using a suction device, collecting information relevant to gene therapy and gene functional analysis by the liver suction method. To achieve high transgene expression levels, we developed a suction device with four holes (multiple hole device) and applied it to the larger portion of the left lateral lobe of the mouse liver.

A Phos-tag-based micropipette-tip method for rapid and selective enrichment of phosphopeptides.

Phosphorylated peptides are attractive targets in the study of the phosphoproteome. Here, we introduce a simple and convenient micropipette-tip method for the separation of phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated peptides by using a phosphate-binding zinc(II) complex of 1,3-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethylamino)propan-2-olate (Phos-tag). A 200-μL micropipette tip containing 10 μL of swollen agarose beads functionalized with Phos-tag moieties was prepared.