Department of Physics, Johannes-Gutenberg University, Staudingerweg 7, Mainz, 55099, Germany.
BioNTech SE, An der Goldgrube 12, Mainz, 55131, Germany.
Macromol Rapid Commun. 2022 Jun;43(12):e2100683. doi: 10.1002/marc.202100683. Epub 2021 Dec 17.
Lipid-based nanoparticles and lipoplexes containing ionizable lipids are among the most successful nanocarriers for mRNA-based therapies. The molecular structure of these assemblies is still not fully understood, as well as the role played by the ionizable lipids. SAXS experiments have shown that lipoplexes including the ionizable lipid 2-dioleyloxy-N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropane (DODMA), under specific conditions, have a lamellar structure, where lipid bilayers are separated by mRNA-rich layers, with an overall spacing between 6.5 and 8.0 nm and a complex pH-dependence. Here, the structure and dynamics of these lipoplexes are investigated at varying pH and mRNA concentration using multiscale molecular dynamics simulations. It is observed that the interaction between DODMA and RNA is slightly attractive only at low pH levels, while it becomes effectively repulsive at high and intermediate pH. This results into a pH-dependent relocation of the RNA inside the multilayers, from the lipid head groups at low pH to a more uniform distribution inside the hydrophilic slabs of the multilayers at high pH. It is also observed that at high pH, DODMA lipids shift toward the hydrophobic part of the bilayer, consequently increasing their leaflet-flipping rate, a phenomenon which may ultimately affect the fusion process of the lipoplex with the endosomal membrane.
基于脂质的纳米颗粒和包含离子化脂质的脂质体是用于基于 mRNA 的治疗的最成功的纳米载体之一。这些组装体的分子结构仍未完全理解,离子化脂质的作用也未完全理解。小角 X 射线散射 (SAXS) 实验表明,在特定条件下,包含可离子化脂质 2-二油酰氧基-N,N-二甲基-3-丙胺(DODMA)的脂质体具有层状结构,其中脂质双层被富含 mRNA 的层隔开,总间距为 6.5nm 至 8.0nm,具有复杂的 pH 依赖性。在这里,使用多尺度分子动力学模拟研究了在不同 pH 值和 mRNA 浓度下这些脂质体的结构和动力学。观察到 DODMA 与 RNA 之间的相互作用仅在低 pH 值下略有吸引力,而在高 pH 值和中间 pH 值下则变为有效排斥力。这导致 RNA 在多层内的 pH 依赖性重新定位,从低 pH 值下的脂质头部基团到高 pH 值下多层亲水片内更均匀的分布。还观察到在高 pH 值下,DODMA 脂质向双层的疏水区移动,从而增加了它们的双层翻转率,这种现象最终可能会影响脂质体与内体膜融合的过程。