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Nucleic acids

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Published on: March 2, 2020

Polyplexes based on cationic polymers with strong nucleic acid binding properties.

Amir K Varkouhi¹, Grigoris Mountrichas, Raymond M Schiffelers

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences : Official Journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences

|September 20, 2011

Summary

New cationic polymers (QNPHOS) with double charges per monomer enhance siRNA delivery and gene silencing. These polymers form stable complexes, outperforming standard transfectants in stability and efficacy for RNA interference applications.

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Sequence-specific and Selective Recognition of Double-stranded RNAs over Single-stranded RNAs by Chemically Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids

Sequence-specific and Selective Recognition of Double-stranded RNAs over Single-stranded RNAs by Chemically Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids

Published on: September 21, 2017

Area of Science:

Biomaterials Science
Polymer Chemistry
Gene Therapy

Background:

Cationic polymers are investigated for nucleic acid delivery.
Formulation stability in biological fluids is a challenge due to interactions with biomacromolecules.
Stronger polymer-nucleic acid interactions may enhance polyplex stability.

Purpose of the Study:

To test the hypothesis that stronger electrostatic interactions lead to higher polyplex stability.
To synthesize and compare novel cationic polymers (QNPHOS and QNPHOS-PEG) with pDMAEMA for nucleic acid delivery.
To evaluate binding strength, gene silencing, and transfection activities of polymer complexes with siRNA and plasmid DNA.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of quaternized poly[3,5-bis(dimethylaminomethylene)-p-hydroxyl styrene] (QNPHOS) and its block copolymer with PEG.
Comparison of QNPHOS-based polymers with pDMAEMA using heparin-induced dissociation assays.
Assessment of gene silencing and transfection efficiency of polymer complexes with siRNA and plasmid DNA.
Evaluation of cytotoxicity of the developed polymer formulations.

Main Results:

QNPHOS and QNPHOS-PEG complexes showed significantly higher stability in biologic fluids compared to pDMAEMA complexes.
DNA polyplexes with QNPHOS/QNPHOS-PEG lacked transfection activity due to high stability.
siRNA complexes with QNPHOS/QNPHOS-PEG exhibited enhanced delivery, high gene silencing activity, and low cytotoxicity.
The superior performance of QNPHOS/QNPHOS-PEG for siRNA delivery is attributed to strong binding via dual cationic charges per monomer.

Conclusions:

Strong siRNA complex formation with polymers containing double charges per monomer is advantageous for gene silencing.
QNPHOS-based polymers represent promising candidates for enhanced siRNA delivery systems.
The study provides evidence supporting the link between electrostatic interaction strength and polyplex stability in biological environments.