Protective mucus coatings typically trap and rapidly remove foreign particles from the eyes, gastrointestinal tract, airways, nasopharynx, and female reproductive tract, thereby strongly limiting opportunities for controlled drug delivery at mucosal surfaces. No synthetic drug delivery system composed of biodegradable polymers has been shown to penetrate highly viscoelastic human mucus, such as non-ovulatory cervicovaginal mucus, at a significant rate. We prepared nanoparticles composed of a biodegradable diblock copolymer of poly(sebacic acid) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PSA-PEG), both of which are routinely used in humans. In fresh undiluted human cervicovaginal mucus (CVM), which has a bulk viscosity approximately 1,800-fold higher than water at low shear, PSA-PEG nanoparticles diffused at an average speed only 12-fold lower than the same particles in pure water. In contrast, similarly sized biodegradable nanoparticles composed of PSA or poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) diffused at least 3,300-fold slower in CVM than in water. PSA-PEG particles also rapidly penetrated sputum expectorated from the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis, a disease characterized by hyperviscoelastic mucus secretions. Rapid nanoparticle transport in mucus is made possible by the efficient partitioning of PEG to the particle surface during formulation. Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles capable of overcoming human mucus barriers and providing sustained drug release open significant opportunities for improved drug and gene delivery at mucosal surfaces.

Current biochemical characterizations of cystic fibrosis (CF) sputum do not address the high degree of microheterogeneity in the rheological properties of the mucosal matrix and only provide bulk-average particle diffusion coefficients. The viscoelasticity of CF sputum greatly reduces the diffusion rates of colloidal particles, limiting the effectiveness of gene delivery to underlying lung cells. We determine diffusion coefficients of hundreds of individual amine-modified and carboxylated polystyrene particles (diameter 100-500 nm) embedded in human CF sputum with 5 nm and 33 ms of spatiotemporal resolution. High resolution multiple particle tracking is used to calculate the effective viscoelastic properties of CF sputum at the micron scale, which we relate to its macroscopic viscoelasticity. CF sputum microviscosity, as probed by 100- and 200-nm particles, is an order of magnitude lower than its macroviscosity, suggesting that nanoparticles dispersed in CF sputum are transported primarily through lower viscosity pores within a highly elastic matrix. Multiple particle tracking provides a non-destructive, highly sensitive method to quantify the high heterogeneity of the mucus pore network. The mean diffusion coefficient becomes dominated by relatively few but fast-moving particles as particle size is reduced from 500 to 100 nm. Neutrally charged particles with a diameter <200 nm undergo more rapid transport in CF sputum than charged particles. Treatment with recombinant human DNase (Pulmozyme) reduces macroviscoelastic properties of CF sputum by up to 50% and dramatically narrows the distribution of individual particle diffusion rates but surprisingly does not significantly alter the ensemble-average particle diffusion rate.

Tumor neovascularization and growth might be promoted by the recruitment of bone marrow–derived cells (BMDC), which include endothelial precursor cells and “vascular modulatory” myelomonocytic (CD11b+) cells. BMDCs may also drive tumor regrowth after certain chemotherapeutic and vascular disruption treatments. In this study, we evaluated the role of BMDC recruitment in breast and lung carcinoma xenograft models after local irradiation (LI). We depleted the bone marrow by including whole-body irradiation (WBI) of 6 Gy as part of a total tumor dose of 21 Gy, and compared the growth delay with the one achieved after LI of 21 Gy. In both models, the inclusion of WBI induced longer tumor growth delays. Moreover, WBI increased lung tumor control probability by LI. Exogenous delivery of BMDCs from radiation-naïve donors partially abrogated the WBI effect. Myeloid BMDCs, primarily macrophages, rapidly accumulated in tumors after LI. Intratumoral expression of stromal-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α), a chemokine that promotes tissue retention of BMDCs, was noted 2 days after LI. Conversely, treatment with an inhibitor of SDF-1α receptor CXCR4 (AMD3100) with LI significantly delayed tumor regrowth. However, when administered starting from 5 days post-LI, AMD3100 treatment was ineffective. Lastly, with restorative bone marrow transplantation of Tie2-GFP–labeled BMDC population, we observed an increased number of monocytes but not endothelial precursor cells in tumors that recurred following LI. Our results suggest that an increase in intratumoral SDF-1α triggered by LI recruits myelomonocytes/macrophages which promotes tumor regrowth. Cancer Res; 70(14); 5679–85. ©2010 AACR.

Aims: Sputum poses a critical diffusional barrier that strongly limits the efficacy of drug and gene carriers in the airways of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Previous attempts to enhance particle penetration of CF sputum have focused on either reducing its barrier properties via mucolytics, or decreasing particle adhesion to sputum constituents by coating the particle surface with non-mucoadhesive polymers, including polyethylene glycol (PEG). Neither approach has enabled particles to penetrate expectorated sputum at rates previously observed for non-mucoadhesive nanoparticles in human cervicovaginal mucus. Here, we sought to investigate whether a common mucolytic, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), in combination with dense PEG coatings on particles, can synergistically enhance particle penetration across fresh undiluted CF sputum. Materials & methods: We used high-resolution multiple particle tracking to measure the diffusion of uncoated and PEG-coated nanoparticles in native and NAC-treated CF sputum. R...