Manipulating the delivery and immunogenicity of DNA vaccines through the addition of CB[8] to cationic polymers.

ABSTRACT: Challenges with vaccine reactogenicity, stability, and access have highlighted the need to develop alternative strategies for formulation and delivery. We explored the incorporation of cucurbit[n]urils (CBs), as supramolecular "hosts," into nucleic acid-polymer polyplexes. CBs are small, non-toxic, barrel-shaped molecules that transiently crosslink polymers containing supramolecular "guests," thereby increasing molecular weight (MW) of the complex, a correlate of transfection efficiency. We tested whether the supramolecular interactions of CB[8] impact polyplex function. We generated a library of different CB[8] polyplexes using plasmid DNA (pDNA), varying N/P (the ratio of polymer to plasmid), the length, and guest (phenylalanine [Phe]) group frequency of the polyethylenimine (PEI) polyme

SUBMITTER: Sallah HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12447565 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature