Rojas-Chaverra Nichole Marcela, Imamura Ryu, Sato Hiroki, Passioura Toby, Mihara Emiko, Nishimura Tatsunori, Takagi Junichi, Suga Hiroaki, Matsumoto Kunio, Sakai Katsuya
Division of Tumor Dynamics and Regulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
WPI-Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
iScience. 2024 Jul 2;27(8):110426. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110426. eCollection 2024 Aug 16.
The regenerative functions associated with cytokines and growth factors have immense therapeutic potential; however, their poor pharmacokinetics, resulting from structural features, hinder their effectiveness. In this study, we aimed to enhance the pharmacokinetics of growth factors by designing receptor-binding macrocyclic peptides through mRNA display and grafting them into loops of immunoglobulin's crystallizable region (Fc). As a model, we developed peptide-grafted Fc proteins with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) functionality that exhibited a prolonged circulation half-life and could be administered subcutaneously. The Fc-based HGF mimetic alleviated liver fibrosis in a mouse model fed a choline-deficient high-fat diet, which induces hepatic features of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, including fibrosis, showcasing its potential as a therapeutic intervention. This study provides a basis for developing growth factor and cytokine mimetics with improved pharmacokinetics, expanding their therapeutic applications.
与细胞因子和生长因子相关的再生功能具有巨大的治疗潜力;然而,由于其结构特征导致的药代动力学不佳,阻碍了它们的有效性。在本研究中,我们旨在通过mRNA展示设计受体结合大环肽并将其嫁接到免疫球蛋白可结晶区域(Fc)的环中来增强生长因子的药代动力学。作为一个模型,我们开发了具有肝细胞生长因子(HGF)功能的肽嫁接Fc蛋白,其循环半衰期延长,并且可以皮下给药。基于Fc的HGF模拟物在喂食胆碱缺乏高脂肪饮食的小鼠模型中减轻了肝纤维化,该饮食可诱发非酒精性脂肪性肝炎的肝脏特征,包括纤维化,展示了其作为治疗干预措施的潜力。本研究为开发具有改善药代动力学的生长因子和细胞因子模拟物提供了基础,扩大了它们的治疗应用。