Zhao ZY, Luo PL, Guo X, Huang ZW. Protein nanoparticles as potent delivery vehicles for polycytosine RNA-binding protein one. World J Diabetes 2025; 16(1): 100675 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i1.100675]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Zheng-Wei Huang, PhD, Assistant Professor, State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Natural Bioactive Molecules and Discovery of Innovative Drugs, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, No. 855 East Xingye Dadao, Panyu District, Guangzhou 511436, Guangdong Province, China. huangzhengw@jnu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Diabetes. Jan 15, 2025; 16(1): 100675 Published online Jan 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i1.100675
Protein nanoparticles as potent delivery vehicles for polycytosine RNA-binding protein one
Zi-Yu Zhao, Pei-Li Luo, Xia Guo, Zheng-Wei Huang
Zi-Yu Zhao, Pei-Li Luo, Xia Guo, Zheng-Wei Huang, State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Natural Bioactive Molecules and Discovery of Innovative Drugs, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, Guangdong Province, China
Co-first authors: Zi-Yu Zhao and Pei-Li Luo.
Co-corresponding authors: Xia Guo and Zheng-Wei Huang.
Author contributions: Zhao ZY contributed to manuscript writing and file sorting; Luo PL contributed to conceptualization, artwork preparation and manuscript formatting; Guo X and Huang ZW contributed to theoretical framework, supervision, proof-reading and submission. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zheng-Wei Huang, PhD, Assistant Professor, State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Natural Bioactive Molecules and Discovery of Innovative Drugs, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, No. 855 East Xingye Dadao, Panyu District, Guangzhou 511436, Guangdong Province, China. huangzhengw@jnu.edu.cn
Received: August 22, 2024 Revised: October 22, 2024 Accepted: November 13, 2024 Published online: January 15, 2025 Processing time: 99 Days and 11.8 Hours
Abstract
Ma et al recently reported in the World Journal of Diabetes that ferroptosis occurs in osteoblasts under high glucose conditions, reflecting diabetes pathology. This condition could be protected by the upregulation of the gene encoding polycytosine RNA-binding protein 1 (PCBP1). Additionally, Ma et al used a lentivirus infection system to express PCBP1. As the authors’ method of administration can be improved in terms of stability and cost, we propose delivering PCBP1 to treat type 2 diabetic osteoporosis by encapsulating it in protein nanoparticles. First, PCBP1 is small and druggable. Second, intravenous injection can help deliver PCBP1 across the mucosa while avoiding acid and enzyme-catalyzed degradation. Furthermore, incorporating PCBP1 into nanoparticles prevents its interaction with water or oxygen and protects PCBP1’s structure and activity. Notably, the safety of the protein materials and the industrialization techniques for large-scale production of protein nanoparticles must be comprehensively investigated before clinical application.
Core Tip: We propose using polycytosine RNA-binding protein 1 (PCBP1)-loaded protein nanoparticles to treat type 2 diabetic osteoporosis. While PCBP1 is an active pharmaceutical ingredient due to its druggability and small size, current delivery strategies ineffectively preserve its activity. Intravenous injections may be more suitable because they infuse PCBP1 into circulation without mucosal penetration. Moreover, coating PCBP1 with protein can prevent hydrolysis and oxidation; protein nanoparticles are appropriate vesicles as they are also hydrophilic. Additionally, protein materials react with water and oxygen, thereby protecting PCBP1 function. Furthermore, injection-grade PCBP1 and the large-scale production of protein nanoparticles must be investigated to meet pharmaceutical standards.
