Formulations for natural and peptide nucleic acids based on cationic polymeric submicron particles

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Developing efficient nucleic acid delivery systems is crucial for gene therapy and molecular diagnostics.
• Existing delivery methods, such as liposomes, face challenges in stability and efficiency.
• Submicron particles offer potential advantages due to their stability and suitability for large-scale production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To produce and characterize cationic submicron particles for nucleic acid delivery.
• To evaluate the complexation ability of these particles with DNA and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) hybrids.
• To assess the in vitro gene transfection efficiency of the developed submicron particles.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of cationic submicron particles using Eudragit RS 100 and cationic surfactants (DDAB18, DEBDA).
• Physicochemical characterization including size, size distribution, morphology, and zeta potential analysis.
• In vitro evaluation of nucleic acid complexation and gene delivery efficiency using a luciferase assay.

Main Results:

• Cationic submicron particles were successfully produced and characterized.
• Particles demonstrated effective complexation with various nucleic acid types (DNA, PNA hybrids, PNA-DNA chimeras).
• In vitro transfection assays showed superior gene delivery efficiency compared to commercial liposome-based kits.

Conclusions:

• Cationic submicron particles represent a promising, stable, and industrially scalable system for nucleic acid delivery.
• These novel particles exhibit enhanced transfection efficiency, offering a viable alternative to current gene delivery technologies.
• The developed system holds potential for applications in gene therapy and molecular biology research.