mRNA-LNPs induce immune activation and cytokine release in human whole blood assays across diverse health conditions.

Abstract

RNA medicines have become a promising platform for therapeutic use in recent years. Understanding the immunomodulatory effects of novel mRNA-LNPs is crucial for future therapeutic development. An in vitro whole blood assay was developed to assess the impact of mRNA-LNPs on immune cell function, cytokine release, and complement activation. mRNA-LNPs significantly increased CD69 expression on T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, and CD80/CD86 on myeloid subsets, in a dose-dependent fashion. Furthermore, mRNA-LNPs elicited a robust release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, MCP-1, IL-6, and IP-10, indicating a potent immune response. Notably, mRNA-LNPs stimulate early cytokine production prior to triggering immune cell activation, suggesting a temporal and biological relationship. Moreover, mRNA-LNPs induce complement activation via the alternative pathway, as evidenced by increased serum sC5b-9, C3a, and Bb which can amplify the inflammatory response and potentially impact safety. In vitro effects of mRNA-LNPs in whole blood of healthy human donors were compared to those from disease cohorts including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cancer donors. The differences in mRNA-LNPs effects on samples from healthy and diseased populations may impact therapeutic efficacy or toxicity, indicating a need for tailoring LNPs for specific target populations.