Enriched chitosan nanoparticles loaded with siRNA are effective in lowering Huntington's disease gene expression following intranasal administration

Abstract Therapies to lower gene expression in brain disease currently require chronic administration into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by intrathecal infusions or direct intracerebral injections. Though well-tolerated in the short-term, this approach is not tenable for a life-time of administration. Nose-to-brain delivery of enriched chitosan-based nanoparticles loaded with anti-HTT siRNA was studied in a transgenic YAC128 mouse model of Huntington's Disease (HD). A series of chitosan-based nanoparticle (NP) formulations encapsulating anti-HTT small interfering RNA (siRNA) were designed to protect the payload from degradation “en route” to the target. Factors to improve production of effective nanocarriers of anti-HTT siRNA were identified and tested in a YAC128 mouse model of Huntington's disease. Four formulations of nanocarriers were identified to be effective in lowering HTT mRNA expression by at least 50%. Intranasal administration of nanoparticles carrying siRNA is a promising therapeutic alternative for safe and effective lowering of mutant HTT expression.