Preparation and characterization of gelatin nanoparticles containing pDNA encoding IL-12 and their expression in
Somayeh Hallaj-Nezhadi1, Hadi Valizadeh, Behzad Baradaran
1Drug Applied Research Center & Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Aim:
Gelatin as a biodegradable, nontoxic and biocompatible natural protein is a good candidate for gene delivery. In this study, pDNA-loaded gelatin nanoparticles were prepared and characterized for the expression of the cytokine IL-12 and anti-tumor effects.
Materials & Methods:
Gelatin-pUMVC3-hIL-12 nanoparticles were prepared by the ethanol precipitation technique and evaluated for physicochemical characteristics, cytotoxiciy and transfection efficiency.
Results:
The prepared particles were spherical in shape with sizes varying from 344.27 to 826.23 nm, ζ-potentials between -944 and -165 mV, and greater than 97% encapsulation efficiency. The particles were nontoxic to CT-26 carcinoma cells. The nanoparticles prepared using 0.5% gelatin solution (G14) with a mean particle size of 816.87 nm (polydispersity index = 0.56 ± 0.01) demonstrated maximum transfection efficiency with 2.5-times higher expression compared with the naked plasmid.
Conclusion:
Gelatin-DNA nanoparticles using 0.5% gelatin solution had minimal cytotoxicity and can be used as a suitable candidate for further gene delivery studies and applications.
