In-vitro evaluation of the effect of polymer structure on uptake of novel polymer-insulin polyelectrolyte complexes by human epithelial cells.

Ibie, C.; Knott, R.; Thompson, C.J.

Abstract

The biocompatibility and cellular uptake of polymer, insulin polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) prepared using polyallylamine-based polymers was evaluated in-vitro using Caco-2 cell monolayers as a predictive model for human small intestinal epithelial cells. Poly(allyl amine) (PAA) and Quaternised PAA (QPAA) were thiolated using either carbodiimide mediated conjugation to N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or reaction with 2-iminothiolane hydrochloride yielding their NAC and 4-thiobutylamidine (TBA) conjugates, respectively. The effect of polymer quaternisation and/or thiolation on the IC50 of PAA was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay carried out on Caco-2 cells (with and without a 24 h recovery period after samples were removed). Uptake of PECs by Caco-2 cells was monitored by microscopy using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labelled insulin and rhodamine-labelled polymers at polymer:insulin ratios (4:5) after 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 h incubation in growth media (±calcium) and following pre-incubation with insulin. MTT results indicated that quaternisation of PAA was associated with an improvement in IC50 values; cells treated with QPAA (0.001-4 mg mL-1) showed no signs of toxicity following a 24 h cell recovery period, while thiolation of QPAA resulted in a decrease in the IC50. Cellular uptake studies showed that within 2-4 h, QPAA and QPAA-TBA insulin PECs were taken up intracellularly, with PECs being localised within the perinuclear area of cells. Further investigation showed that uptake of PECs was unaffected when calcium-free media was used, while presaturating insulin receptors affected the uptake of QPAA, insulin PECs, but not QPAA-TBA PECs. The biocompatibility of PAA and uptake of insulin was improved by both thiol and quaternary substitution.

Citation

IBIE, C., KNOTT, R. and THOMPSON, C.J. 2015. In-vitro evaluation of the effect of polymer structure on uptake of novel polymer-insulin polyelectrolyte complexes by human epithelial cells. International journal of pharmaceutics [online], 479(1), pages 103-117. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.12.058

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 26, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Dec 27, 2014
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Dec 11, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 11, 2017
• Journal: International journal of pharmaceutics
• Print ISSN: 0378-5173
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-3476
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 479
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 103-117
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.12.058
• Keywords: Fluorescence microscopy; Insulin; MTT assay; Polyelectrolyte complex; Thiolation; Quaternization
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/2628
• Contract Date: Dec 11, 2017