To overcome the efficiency-cytotoxicity dilemma of native PEI and incorporate the advantages of alginate, we designed a novel gene vector by grafting PEI 2000 onto alginate, an anionic polysaccharide with excellent biocompatibility. The alginate-graft-PEI (Alg-g-PEI) was successfully synthesized and then characterized by elemental analysis, (1)H-NMR and (13)C-NMR. The M(w) of Alg-g-PEI is ca. 17 000. Acid-base titration confirmed that Alg-g-PEI retained the buffering capacity of native PEI. The DNA binding ability of the polymer was confirmed by gel retardation assay. DSL analysis showed that Alg-g-PEI had a particle size and zeta-potential similar to PEI 25K. AFM detected a clear and well-shaped morphology of the complexes. Additionally, Alg-g-PEI exhibited lower cytotoxicity than PEI 25K in BEL7402, MSC and RVMSC cells. Compared with PEI 25K, Alg-g-PEI had comparable or even higher transfection efficiency. Similarly, Alg-g-PEI-mediated VEGF expression was significantly higher compared with PEI 25K-mediated VEGF expression. All together, our results suggest that Alg-g-PEI has a potential to be a safe and efficient agent for gene therapy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.