Hydrodynamic delivery of siRNA in a mouse model of sepsis

The use of siRNA in vivo as well as in animal models has become more widespread in recent years, leading to further questions as to the best mode of delivery that will achieve optimal knockdown. While the exact mechanism of siRNA uptake at a cellular level has yet to be fully elucidated, various delivery techniques are being researched, including the use of viral vectors of shRNA, liposome encapsulations, and hydrodynamic delivery of naked siRNA. We describe the use of hydrodynamic administration as a technique to deliver, in vivo, naked siRNA constructs into experimental animals as a method of transient gene knockdown. This method may prove useful in situations where knockout animals do not exist, or to determine the effect of gene knockdown at specific time points during an experiment.