Issue 23, 2023

Delivery mechanism of doxorubicin by PEG–DPPE micelles on membrane invasion by dynamic simulations

Abstract

Exploiting micelles of polyethylene glycol–dipalmitoylglycerophosphoethanolamine (PEG–DPPE) as a drug delivery approach is of great promise for improving therapeutic targeting and the half-lives of drugs. To optimize the micelle carriers, pending issues concerning the kinetics underlying the carrier-membrane interplay and the specific contributions of the micelle hydrophobic/hydrophilic components remain to be addressed. Relying on MARTINI coarse-grain (CG) molecular dynamics simulations, we explored the carrier-membrane fusion dynamics of PEG–DPPE micelles with different PEG repetitions in delivering doxorubicin (DOX). A bilayer model composed of 20% phosphatidylglycerol (POPG) and 80% phosphatidylcholine (POPC) was constructed to mimic anionic cancer cell membranes. The CG model of DOX was pioneeringly constructed herein, and it was found to distribute at the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interface of the PEGylated micelles, in agreement with experimental results. The free DOXs cause insignificant disorder of the membrane organization, whereas the PEG–DPPE micelles encapsulating DOX lead to a remarkable membrane invasion supported by the order parameter of the lipid acyl carbon tails and the membrane permeation free energy of DOX. The carrier–bilayer interaction shows a stepwise form attributed to the rearrangement of the zwitterionic/anionic lipids upon the absorption of the DOX-micelle complex on a membrane locality, which initiates the rapid release of DOX to the bilayer interior. Benefiting from the enhanced micelle-membrane interplay, the PEG1250-DPPE micelles result in severe bilayer breakage and deeper membrane insertion of DOX compared to the PEG2000-DPPE micelles. This study provides new theoretical insights into the mechanism of PEG–DPPE micelles in delivering drugs through membranes, which is of benefit for further optimization of PEGylated delivery systems.

Graphical abstract: Delivery mechanism of doxorubicin by PEG–DPPE micelles on membrane invasion by dynamic simulations

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Dec 2022
Accepted
28 May 2023
First published
29 May 2023

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2023,25, 16114-16125

Delivery mechanism of doxorubicin by PEG–DPPE micelles on membrane invasion by dynamic simulations

L. Zhao, M. Ren, Y. Wang, H. An and F. Sun, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2023, 25, 16114 DOI: 10.1039/D2CP05946K

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