Drug delivery to peroxisomes: employing unique trafficking mechanisms to target protein therapeutics

Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2007 Aug 10;59(8):739-47. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2007.06.005. Epub 2007 Jun 28.

Abstract

Peroxisomes are multifunctional organelles of all human cells, responsible for a variety of essential biochemical and metabolic processes including alpha- and beta-oxidation of specific fatty acids, plasmalogen biosynthesis and glyoxylate detoxification. Inborn errors of biogenesis or in the ability to synthesize or properly traffic specific enzymes to peroxisomes result in devastating human disease. The organelle has also emerged as a contributor to cellular oxidative stress through its ability to generate hydrogen peroxide. Unlike most other organelles, the peroxisome's import apparatus will accommodate fully folded, oligomeric and co-factor-bound substrates. The strategies outlined here are designed to take advantage of this unique mechanism to target protein therapeutics. Emphasis is also placed on how to deliver these bioactive molecules into cells to engage the peroxisomal protein import machine. The critical antioxidant enzyme catalase has been successfully delivered and targeted by many of the approaches detailed herein; these examples will be discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acatalasia / drug therapy
  • Acatalasia / metabolism
  • Biological Transport, Active
  • Catalase / metabolism*
  • Drug Delivery Systems*
  • Endosomes / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / metabolism
  • Hyperoxaluria / drug therapy
  • Hyperoxaluria / metabolism
  • Intracellular Space / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Oxidative Stress*
  • Peptides / metabolism
  • Peroxisomal Disorders / drug therapy
  • Peroxisomal Disorders / metabolism
  • Peroxisome-Targeting Signal 1 Receptor
  • Peroxisomes / drug effects
  • Peroxisomes / metabolism*
  • Protein Transport
  • Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / metabolism
  • Zellweger Syndrome / drug therapy
  • Zellweger Syndrome / metabolism

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • Peptides
  • Peroxisome-Targeting Signal 1 Receptor
  • Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
  • peroxisomal targeting sequence receptor
  • polyarginine
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Catalase