Elucidating the role of free polycationic chains in polycation gene carriers by free chains of polyethylenimine or N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan plus a certain polyplex.

ABSTRACT: Polycations as gene carriers have attracted considerable attention over the past decade. Generally, polyplexes between polycations and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are formed at low N/P ratios (the ratios of the numbers of nitrogen atoms in a polycation to the numbers of phosphorus atoms in DNA), but high transfection efficiency can only be obtained at much higher N/P ratios. Thus, many polycationic chains are still free in solution. In this study, we investigated the detailed functions of free polyethylenimine chains (PEI-F) and free N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan chains (TMC-F) using the same polyplex, ie, TMC polyplex (TMC-P), which has high stability in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM). Meanwhile, PEI polyplex (PEI-P)/PEI-F was also evaluated rather than PEI-P/TMC-F because the stabi

SUBMITTER: Xu T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4086671 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature