Structural Effects of Carbohydrate-Containing Polycations on Gene Delivery. 1. Carbohydrate Size and Its Distance from Charge Centers
- Creators
- Reineke, Theresa M.
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Davis, Mark E.
Abstract
Cationic polymers have the ability to bind plasmid DNA (pDNA) through electrostatic interactions and condense it into particles that can be readily endocytosed by cultured cells. The effects that polycation structure has on toxicity and gene delivery efficiency are investigated here by synthesizing a series of amidine-based polycations that contain the carbohydrates d-trehalose and β-cyclodextrin (CD) within the polycation backbone. The carbohydrate size (trehalose vs CD) and its distance from the charge centers affect the gene delivery behavior in BHK-21 cells. It is found that as the charge center is further removed from the carbohydrate unit, the toxicity is increased. Also, as the size of the carbohydrate moiety is enlarged from trehalose to β-cyclodextrin, the toxicity is reduced. The absence of a carbohydrate in the polycation produces high toxicity. All carbohydrate polycations transfect BHK-21 cells to approximately the same level of gene expression.
Additional Information
© 2003 American Chemical Society. Received August 9, 2002; Revised Manuscript Received October 10, 2002. We thank Insert Therapeutics, Inc. for partial support of this project. T.M.R. would like to thank the NIH for a National Research Service Award (1-F32 GM64919-01). Also, we are grateful to Swaroop Mishra for amplifying the pDNA and Jeremy Heidel for helpful discussions regarding the cell culture experiments and performing some of the toxicity studies on polymers AP6 and AP7.Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 73699
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20170125-084653632
- 1-F32 GM64919-01
- NIH
- Created
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2017-01-25Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-11Created from EPrint's last_modified field