Intraperitoneal injection of an unmodified antisense peptide nucleic acid (PNA) complementary to mRNA of the rat neurotensin (NT) receptor (NTR1) was demonstrated by a gel shift assay to be present in brain, thus indicating that the PNA had in fact crossed the blood-brain barrier. An i.p. injection of this antisense PNA specifically inhibited the hypothermic and antinociceptive activities of NT microinjected into brain. These results were associated with a reduction in binding sites for NT both in brain and the small intestine. Additionally, the sense-NTR1 PNA, targeted to DNA, microinjected directly into the brain specifically reduced mRNA levels by 50% and caused a loss of response to NT. To demonstrate the specificity of changes in behavioral, binding, and mRNA studies, animals treated with NTR1 PNA were tested for behavioral responses to morphine and their mu receptor levels were determined. Both were found to be unaffected in these NTR1 PNA-treated animals. The effects of both the antisense and sense PNAs were completely reversible. This work provides evidence that any antisense strategy targeted to brain proteins can work through i.p. delivery by crossing the normal blood-brain barrier. Equally important was that an antigene strategy, the sense PNA, was shown in vivo to be a potentially effective therapeutic treatment.Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), a new type of DNA analog ( Fig. 1), hold great promise as antisense or antigene drugs, because they are electrically neutral oligomers that are stable against nucleases and proteases, bind independently of salt concentration to their complementary nucleic acids, and have higher affinity for nucleic acids than do DNA͞DNA duplexes (1, 2). Additionally, PNA͞DNA duplexes are much more gene specific, because they are less tolerant of mismatches than are DNA͞DNA duplexes (3). Initial enthusiasm for their use as antisense or antigene drugs was dampened by the fact that these molecules pass poorly into cells (4, 5). Our laboratory reported that unmodified (carrier-free) PNAs, on their direct injection into rat brain, enter neuronal cells and inhibit protein synthesis in a gene-specific manner (6).To determine both the mechanism of action of PNAs and whether PNAs could pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB), brain neurotensin (NT) receptors (NTR1) again were targeted. After a single i.p. injection of antisense PNA to NTR1 (targeted to mRNA) behavioral and physiological responses to NT (antinociception and hypothermia) were specifically and almost completely lost. These results were accompanied by specific reductions in receptor sites as determined by radioligand binding assays. However, there were no changes in mRNA levels. A sensitive assay developed to detect the amount of PNAs in tissue (gel shift assay) confirmed the presence of PNA in brain after i.p. injection. Therefore, these results provided evidence that any antisense strategy targeted to brain proteins can work by i.p. delivery and by crossing the normal (i.e., not compromised by malignancy) BBB. Also, of ...

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Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are DNA analogs that can hybridize to complementary sequences with high affinity and stability. Here, we report the first evidence of intracellular delivery of PNAs in vivo. Two CNS receptors, an opioid (mu) and a neurotensin (NTR-1), were targeted independently by repeated microinjection of PNAs into the periaqueductal gray. Behavioral responses to neurotensin (antinociception and hypothermia) and morphine (antinociception) were lost in a specific manner. Binding studies confirmed a large reduction in receptor sites. The loss of behavioral responses was long lasting but did fully recover. The implications of specifically and readily turning off gene expression in vivo are profound.z 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

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