Nanoparticle‐Mediated Delivery of Anti‐PU.1 siRNA via Localized Intracisternal Administration Reduces Neuroinflammation

Abstract

Neuroinflammation is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Microglia, the brain's immune cells, express many of the AD‐risk loci identified in genome wide association studies and present a promising target for anti‐inflammatory RNA therapeutics but are difficult to transfect with current methods. Here, several lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations are examined, and a lead candidate that supports efficient RNA delivery in cultures of human stem cell‐derived microglia‐like cells (iMGLs) and animal models of neuroinflammation is identified. The lead microglia LNP (MG‐LNP) formulation shows minimal toxicity and improves delivery efficiency to inflammatory iMGLs, suggesting a preference for delivery into activated microglia. Intraperitoneal injection of the MG‐LNP formulation generates widespread expression of the delivered reporter construct in all organs, whereas local intracisternal injection directly into the cerebrospinal fluid leads to preferential expression in the brain. It is shown that LNP‐mediated delivery of siRNA targeting the PU.1 transcription factor, a known AD‐risk locus, successfully reduces PU.1 levels in iMGLs and reduces neuroinflammation in mice injected with LPS and in CK‐p25 mice that mimic the chronic neuroinflammation seen in AD patients. The LNP formulation represents an effective RNA delivery vehicle when applied intrathecally and can be broadly utilized to test potential neuroinflammation‐directed gene therapies.