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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles
Published on: March 2, 2020
Controlled complexation of plasmid DNA with cationic polymers: effect of surfactant on the complexation and stability
Marjukka Ikonen1, Lasse Murtomäki, Kyösti Kontturi
1Helsinki University of Technology, Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, PO Box 6100, FI-02015 TKK, Finland.
Abstract:
The aggregation of the cationic polymer-plasmid DNA complexes of two commonly used polymers, polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly-l-lysine (PLL) were systematically compared. The complexation was studied in 5% glucose solution at 25 degrees C using dynamic light scattering and isothermal titration calorimetry. The aggregation of the complexes was controlled by addition of the surfactant polyoxyethylene stearate (POES). The stability of the complexes was evaluated using dextran sulphate (DS) as relaxing agent. The relaxation of the complexes in the presence of DS was studied using agarose gel electrophoresis. This study elucidates the role of surfactant in controlling the size of the PEI/pDNA complex and reveals the differences of the two polymers as complexing agents.
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