Amphipathic homopolymers for siRNA delivery: Probing impact of bifunctional polymer composition on transfection

Christian Buerkli, Soo Hyeon Lee, Elena Moroz, Mihaiela C. Stuparu, Jean Christophe Leroux*, Anzar Khan

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this study, we systematically explore the influence of the lipophilic group on the siRNA transfection properties of the polycationic-based delivery vectors. For this, a novel and modular synthetic strategy was developed for the preparation of polymers carrying a cationic site and a lipophilic group at each polymer repeat unit. These bifunctional polymers could form a complex with siRNA and deliver it to human colon carcinoma cells (HT-29-luc). In general, transfection capability increased with an increase in the chain length of the lipophilic moiety. The best transfection agent, a polymer containing ammonium groups and pentyl side chains, exhibited lower toxicity and higher transfection efficiency than branched and linear polyethylenimines (PEI). Moreover, as opposed to PEI, the transfection efficiency of polymer/siRNA complexes remained unchanged in the presence of bafilomycin A1, a proton pump inhibitor, suggesting that the present system did not rely on the "proton sponge" effect for siRNA delivery.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1707-1715
Number of pages9
JournalBiomacromolecules
Volume15
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 12 2014
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Biomaterials
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Amphipathic homopolymers for siRNA delivery: Probing impact of bifunctional polymer composition on transfection'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this