Polycationic star polymers with hyperbranched cores for gene delivery

Abstract

Core-shell type stars synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization were used for the delivery of nucleic acids. The interior of the stars consisted of hyperbranched poly(arylene oxindole), while the arms were composed of poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate).The length of the star arms varied in degree of polymerization (DP) from 14 to 98. The hydrodynamic radius of the structures measured in water indicated the presence of small aggregates, while isolated stars ranging in size from 14 to 29 nm were seen in organic solvent.The phase transition temperatures of the stars in water, measured in basic conditions, were shifted to lower values with increasing DP of the arms. Stable polyplexes of stars with plasmid DNA were formed. Their size varied from 300 nm to 400 nm, depending upon the DP of arms. The zeta potential of the polyplexes was positive, which facilitated their cellular uptake. The DP of the arms influenced the transfection efficiency of HT-1080 cells, demonstrating that stars are promising candidates for synthetic gene vectors.

Nonviral Plasmid DNA Carriers Based on N,N′-Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate and Di(ethylene glycol) Methyl Ether Methacrylate Star Copolymers

“…The incorporation of DEGMA segments into the arms of the stars decreased the cytotoxicity substantially in comparison with PDMAEMA stars. 9 The star Table 1) provided the highest cell viability for the complete polymer concentration range. However, the stars with block structured arms, even with 21 mol % of DEGMA, were more toxic than stars with a random distribution of arms, suggesting that the content of DEGMA creating the outer shell of the star is insufficient to prevent the necrosis of cells.…”

“…9 Here, two types of stars were synthesized: stars with random copolymer arms ( A one-pot method was used to obtain stars with random copolymer arms (route A, Scheme 1). According to the studies of Lang et al, 32 the values of DMAEMA and OEGMA (M n = 475 g/mol) reactivity ratios estimated in ATRP process are close to unity.…”

“…9 These lower zeta potential values can be explained by the shielding effect of methacrylates of oligo(ethylene glycols), which are known to reduce the positive charge of complexes between the star and pDNA. 28 The polyplexes of DNA with commercially available branched polyethylenimine possess values of zeta potential similar to those of star polyplexes at N/P ratios below 8.…”

Multifunctional Amphiphilic Nanoparticles Featuring (Bio)Degradable Core and Dual‐Responsive Shell as Biomedical Platforms for Controlled Release

“…[47][48][49] Indeed, NPs of various architectures (linear, hyperbranched, star-like, etc.) combining hydrophobic and hydrophilic PDMAEMA moieties are gaining increasing research interest for combination therapy.…”

A thixotropic polyglycerol sebacate-based supramolecular hydrogel showing UCST behavior

“…Due to all the above properties of PGS, it has been widely explored for applications such as drug delivery, biocompatible coatings on implantable biomedical devices and tissue engineering (such as cardiac, vascular and nervous tissues). [23][24][25][26][27] The initiator used for ATRP can vary from a simple ethyl a-bromoisobutyrate 26 and 4-toluenesulfonyl chloride, 28 to a macromolecule such as poly(arylene oxindole) 29 and poly(p-chloromethyl styrene), 30 to graphene 31 and even a silicon wafer surface. Various chemical modications have been developed to improve the synthesis technique, as well as to enhance the material properties of PGS for various applications.…”