Immunostimulatory activity of cationic-lipid-nucleic-acid complexes against cancer

Abstract

Recent studies have highlighted the immunostimulatory nature of nucleic acids and the enhancement of such immunostimulation when nucleic acids are complexed to cationic liposomes to form cationic-lipid-nucleic-acid-complexes or lipoplexes. While such immunostimulation may have deleterious consequences for nucleic acid delivery, especially in the field of gene therapy, it may be harnessed for efficacious usage against the various forms of cancer.

Paclitaxel encapsulated in cationic liposomes: A new option for neovascular targeting for the treatment of prostate cancer

“…The previously observed antitumoural efficacy of empty cationic liposomes was confirmed by our findings (29). On day 20, the tumour volume in the CL group was even smaller than in the Pax group.…”

Signaling Danger

“…TLR9 activation is followed by a robust Th1 humoral and cellular immune response in vivo (105,108 -112), which identified synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides containing stimulatory CpG motifs as a potential tool for the development of novel immunomodulatory treatment strategies (113,114). These include CpG-DNA as vaccine adjuvants (108,115,116), as immune modulators of atopy (117), as inductors of T cell responses against malignancy (109,118), and as modulators of the immune response during infection with intracellular microbes (119).…”

Therapeutic effect of methotrexate encapsulated in cationic liposomes (EndoMTX) in comparison to free methotrexate in an antigen-induced arthritis study in vivo

“…The reason why the EndoMTX placebo group also showed an effect on the platelet-and leucocyteendothelial cell interaction might be explained by the effect seen by cationic lipid-nucleic acid complexes (CLNAC, lipoplexes) in tumour research, which also have an immune response changing reaction in inflammation (49,50). In addition, at the level of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression it has been shown in other studies that liposomally conjugated MTX down-regulates the inflammation through inhibition of IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA (51).…”