Hydrophobicity Effects of γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase-Responsive Polymers on the Catalytic Activity and Transcytosis Efficacy.

Active transcytosis has recently sparked great interest in drug delivery as a novel route for tumor extravasation and infiltration. However, the rational design of transcytosis-inducing nanomedicines remains challenging. We recently demonstrated that the γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT)-responsive polymer cationization induced efficient adsorption-mediated transcytosis (AMT). However, it remains unclear how the nanomedicines' physicochemical properties influence the GGT-responsive cationization and induced transcytosis behaviors. Herein, through a combination of experimental techniques and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we find that the random copolymers with high hydrophobic monomers tend to form compact structures accessible to the catalytic site of GGT, leading to a fast cationization and thus high transcytosis efficiency, while the homopolymers of the hydrophilic GGT-sensitive monomers have elongated structures unable to enter the active site and thus exhibit poor GGT sensitivity. As a result, the more hydrophobic polymer-drug conjugates with high camptothecin contents exhibit higher GGT-responsive activity, which in turn leads to faster cationization and cellular internalization, enhanced tumor infiltration, and more potent antitumor activity. These findings indicate the hydrophobicity is a main parameter determining the GGT catalytic activity and transcytosis efficiency of the GGT-activatable co(homo)polymers, providing guidelines for the rational design of GGT-induced charge reversal carriers for transcytotic nanomedicines.