Methods for liposome-mediated gene transfer to the arterial wall

Cationic liposomes are preparations of positively charged lipids used for transfection of mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo. Although viruses efficiently infect mammalian cells, the potential risks of viral gene delivery spurred research in the development of synthetic chemical vectors that would duplicate viral delivery but have no risk of infectious complications. These nonviral vectors were first developed in the late 1980s. Cationic lipids are attractive vectors for vascular gene transfer studies owing to ease of preparation, reproducibility, and safety (1-3). In this chapter, we describe our experience with vascular gene transfer using four liposome reagents: DOTMA/DOPE, DC-cholesterol, DOSPA/DOPE, and DMRIE/DOPE.