DNA/polyethyleneimine/hyaluronic acid small complex particles and tumor suppression in mice

The highest barriers for non-viral vectors to an efficient in vivo gene transfection would be (1) non-specific interaction with biological molecules, and (2) large size of the DNA complex particles. Protective coating of the DNA/polyethyleneimine (PEI) complexes by hyaluronic acid (HA) effectively diminished the adverse interactions with biological molecules. Here we found HA also protected the DNA/PEI complexes against aggregation and inactivation through lyophilization-and-rehydration procedures. It allows us to prepare the concentrated very small DNA complex particles (<70 nm) suspension by preparing the complexes at highly diluted conditions, followed by lyophilized-and-rehydrated to a small volume. In vivo gene expression efficiency of the small complex was examined with mice subcutaneously inoculated with B16 melanoma cells. These formulations showed high reporter-gene expression level in tumor after intravenous injection into tumor-bearing mice. Small complex was then made of the plasmid encoding GM-CSF gene, and injected into the mice bearing subcutaneous solid B16 tumor. After intravenous injection, it induced apparent tumor growth suppression in 50% of the mice. Notably, significant therapeutic effect was detected in the mice that received intratumoral injection, and 75% of the mice were completely cured with disappearance of tumor.