PEGylated Liposomes: Immunological Responses

Overview

Journal Sci Technol Adv Mater

Specialty Biomedical Engineering

Date 2019 Jul 6

PMID 31275462

Citations 162

Authors

Marwa Mohamed

Amr S Abu Lila

Taro Shimizu

Eman Alaaeldin

Amal Hussein

Hatem A Sarhan

Janos Szebeni

Tatsuhiro Ishida

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A commonly held view is that nanocarriers conjugated to polyethylene glycol (PEG) are non-immunogenic. However, many studies have reported that unexpected immune responses have occurred against PEG-conjugated nanocarriers. One unanticipated response is the rapid clearance of PEGylated nanocarriers upon repeat administration, called the accelerated blood clearance (ABC) phenomenon. ABC involves the production of antibodies toward nanocarrier components, including PEG, which reduces the safety and effectiveness of encapsulated therapeutic agents. Another immune response is the hypersensitivity or infusion reaction referred to as complement (C) activation-related pseudoallergy (CARPA). Such immunogenicity and adverse reactivities of PEGylated nanocarriers may be of potential concern for the clinical use of PEGylated therapeutics. Accordingly, screening of the immunogenicity and CARPA reactogenicity of nanocarrier-based therapeutics should be a prerequisite before they can proceed into clinical studies. This review presents PEGylated liposomes, immunogenicity of PEG, the ABC phenomenon, C activation and lipid-induced CARPA from a toxicological point of view, and also addresses the factors that influence these adverse interactions with the immune system.

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