OEI800 polyconjugates linked with ketalized glycolic acid for use as gene vectors
作者:Xiao-hua Luo、Chen-Wei Liu、Ze-yong Li、Si-yong Qin、Jun Feng、Xian-zheng Zhang、Ren-xi Zhuo
DOI:10.1039/c1jm12849c
日期:——
Endosomal escape of DNA polyplexes is one prominent bottleneck involved in the transfection process. Purposely against the low pH level in the endosome compartment, a series of acid-cleavable gene vectors constructed from oligoethyleneimine OEI800 polyconjugates linked with ketalized glycolic acid were designed herein and termed OEI-GKs. Their potential as gene vectors was comparatively evaluated by investigating the properties including DNA binding ability, polyplexes zeta potential, particle size, acid-triggered degradation, buffer capability before and after degradation, cytotoxicity, and transfection efficiency. The resultant data indicate that the transfection efficiency and cell-biocompatibility are dependent on the polymer architecture and molecular weights, which can be tailored by adjusting the charge ratio of OEI800versus the linking agent. OEI-GK(1 : 1) can be potentially developed as efficient vectors for the gene delivery in terms of their transfection activity even higher than PEI25k as well as the negligible cytotoxicity. Those improved properties are believed to have association with ketal-associated degradation of OEI-GK under acid conditions in the endosome, which lead to not only easy unpacking of DNA from the hydrolyzed polyplexes but also, interestingly, substantially enhanced buffer capability.
DNA 多聚体的内体逃逸是转染过程中的一个突出瓶颈。针对内质体区的低 pH 值,本文设计了一系列由寡乙烯亚胺 OEI800 多聚物与酮化乙醇酸连接而成的可酸解基因载体,并将其称为 OEI-GKs。通过研究 DNA 结合能力、多聚体 zeta 电位、粒度、酸触发降解、降解前后的缓冲能力、细胞毒性和转染效率等特性,对它们作为基因载体的潜力进行了比较评估。结果表明,转染效率和细胞生物相容性取决于聚合物的结构和分子量,可以通过调整 OEI800 与连接剂的电荷比来定制。OEI-GK(1 : 1)的转染活性甚至高于 PEI25k,而且细胞毒性几乎可以忽略不计,因此有可能开发成高效的基因递送载体。据信,这些改进的特性与 OEI-GK 在酸性条件下在内质体中的酮体降解有关,这种降解不仅使 DNA 容易从水解的多聚体中解包,而且有趣的是,还大大增强了缓冲能力。