Polyethylene Glycol-Mediated Fusion of Extracellular Vesicles with Cationic Liposomes for the Design of Hybrid Delivery Systems

To realize a customizable biogenic delivery platform, herein we propose combining cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from breast cancer cell line MCF-7 with synthetic cationic liposomes using a fusogenic agent, polyethylene glycol (PEG). We performed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based lipid-mixing assay with varying PEG 1000 concentrations (0%, 15%, and 30%) correlated with flow cytometry-based analysis and supported by dimensional analysis by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to validate our fusion strategy. Our data revealed that these hybrid vesicles at a particular concentration of PEG (similar to 15%) improved the cellular delivery efficiency of a model siRNA molecule to the EV parental breast cancer cells, MCF-7, by factors of 2 and 4 compared to the loaded liposome and EV precursors, respectively. The critical rigidity/pliability balance of the hybrid systems fused by PEG seems to be playing a pivotal role in improving their delivery capability. This approach can provide clinically viable delivery solutions using EVs.