Gene Regulation Using Nanodiscs Modified with HIF-1‑α Antisense Oligonucleotides

Delivery of nucleic acids can be hindered by multiple factors including nuclease susceptibility, endosome trapping, and clearance. Multiple nanotechnology scaffolds have offered promising solutions, and among these, lipid-based systems are advantageous because of their high biocompatibility and low toxicity. However, many lipid nanoparticle systems still have issues regarding stability, rapid clearance, and cargo leakage. Herein, we demonstrate the use of a synthetic nanodisc (ND) scaffold functionalized with an anti-HIF-1-α antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) to reduce HIF-1-α mRNA transcript levels. We prepared ND conjugates by using a mixture of phosphoglycerolipids with phosphocholine and phosphothioethanol headgroups that self-assemble into a ∼13 × 5 nm discoidal structure upon addition of a 22-amino-acid ApoA1 mimetic peptide. Optimized reaction conditions yield 15 copies of the anti-HIF-1-α ASO DNA covalently conjugated to the thiolated phospholipids using maleimide–thiol chemistry. We show that DNA-ND conjugates are active, nuclease resistant, and rapidly internalized into cells to regulate HIF-1-α mRNA levels without the use of transfection agents. DNA-ND uptake is partially mediated through Scavenger Receptor B1 and the ND conjugates show enhanced knockdown of HIF-1-α compared to that of the soluble ASOs in multiple cell lines. Our results demonstrate that covalently functionalized NDs may offer an improved platform for ASO therapeutics.