Vitamin lipid nanoparticles enable adoptive macrophage transfer for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial sepsis

Nat Nanotechnol. 2020 Jan;15(1):41-46. doi: 10.1038/s41565-019-0600-1. Epub 2020 Jan 6.

Abstract

Sepsis, a condition caused by severe infections, affects more than 30 million people worldwide every year and remains the leading cause of death in hospitals1,2. Moreover, antimicrobial resistance has become an additional challenge in the treatment of sepsis3, and thus, alternative therapeutic approaches are urgently needed2,3. Here, we show that adoptive transfer of macrophages containing antimicrobial peptides linked to cathepsin B in the lysosomes (MACs) can be applied for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria-induced sepsis in mice with immunosuppression. The MACs are constructed by transfection of vitamin C lipid nanoparticles that deliver antimicrobial peptide and cathepsin B (AMP-CatB) mRNA. The vitamin C lipid nanoparticles allow the specific accumulation of AMP-CatB in macrophage lysosomes, which is the key location for bactericidal activities. Our results demonstrate that adoptive MAC transfer leads to the elimination of multidrug-resistant bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, leading to the complete recovery of immunocompromised septic mice. Our work provides an alternative strategy for overcoming multidrug-resistant bacteria-induced sepsis and opens up possibilities for the development of nanoparticle-enabled cell therapy for infectious diseases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer*
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / administration & dosage
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / therapeutic use*
  • Ascorbic Acid / administration & dosage
  • Ascorbic Acid / therapeutic use*
  • Cathepsin B / genetics
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
  • Lipids / chemistry
  • Liposomes
  • Macrophages / transplantation*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • RAW 264.7 Cells
  • RNA, Messenger / administration & dosage
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / therapeutic use
  • Sepsis / genetics
  • Sepsis / therapy*
  • Vitamins / administration & dosage
  • Vitamins / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
  • Drug Carriers
  • Lipids
  • Liposomes
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Vitamins
  • Cathepsin B
  • Ascorbic Acid