title: Engineering Polymer Hydrogel Nanoparticles for Lymph Node-Targeted Delivery.
abstract: The induction of antigen-specific adaptive immunity exclusively occurs in lymphoid organs. As a consequence, the efficacy by which vaccines reach these tissues strongly affects the efficacy of the vaccine. Here, we report the design of polymer hydrogel nanoparticles that efficiently target multiple immune cell subsets in the draining lymph nodes. Nanoparticles are fabricated by infiltrating mesoporous silica particles (ca. 200 nm) with poly(methacrylic acid) followed by disulfide-based crosslinking and template removal. PEGylation of these nanoparticles does not affect their cellular association in vitro, but dramatically improves their lymphatic drainage in vivo. The functional relevance of these observations is further illustrated by the increased priming of antigen-specific T cells. Our findings highlight the potential of engineered hydrogel nanoparticles for the lymphatic delivery of antigens and immune-modulating compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stefaan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Koker
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jiwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nane
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vanparijs
authors.affiliation: Institute for Complex Molecular Systems and Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.|Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Albertazzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grooten
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. fcaruso@unemelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. br.degeest@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Bruno G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: De Geest
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology; D020100:Hydrogels; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053758:Nanoparticles; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D020100:Hydrogels; D011108:Polymers; D014612:Vaccines
keywords: dendritic cells; disulfides; hydrogels; nanoparticles; vaccines