Nanoparticle delivery systems comprising a hydrophobic core and a lipid/surfactant layer comprising a membrane-lytic peptide
View Patent ↗Compositions which comprise emulsions of nanoparticles for delivery of membrane-integrating peptides are described. The nanoparticles comprise a liquid hydrophobic core coated with a lipid/surfactant layer which contains the membrane-integrating peptides. Methods to use such compositions are also described.
1. A composition comprising nanoparticles, which nanoparticles comprise a liquid hydrophobic core coating with a lipid/surfactant layer, wherein said lipid/surfactant layer contains at least one membrane-integrating peptide, which is a membrane-lytic peptide.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic core comprises at least one halocarbon compound.
3. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the halocarbon compound is a perfluorocarbon.
4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the lipid/surfactant layer comprises at least one phospholipid.
5. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the lipid/surfactant layer contains a targeting ligand specific for a target tissue or cell.
6. The composition of claim 5 , wherein the targeting ligand specifically binds an integrin.
7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the membrane-integrating peptide is cytotoxic.
8. The composition of claim 7 , wherein the membrane-integrating peptide comprises a hydrophobic amino acid sequence of 10-30 amino acids adjacent to a cationic amino acid sequence of 3-6 amino acids.
9. The composition of claim 8 , wherein the membrane-integrating peptide is melittin.
10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein said lipid/surfactant layer further includes a therapeutic or diagnostic agent.
11. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the membrane-integrating peptide is covalently linked to a therapeutic or diagnostic agent.