Calcium mediated formation of phosphorylcholine-based polyplexes for efficient knockdown of epidermal growth factor
Marya Ahmed1, Kazuhiko Ishihara, Ravin Narain
1Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, 116 St and 85 Ave, Edmonton, AB, Canada. narain@ualberta.ca.
Abstract:
2-Methacryloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) materials are well studied due to their excellent biocompatibility and are currently being used in many clinical applications. In this study, MPC based homopolymers and copolymers are prepared and are subsequently evaluated for their charge inversion properties in the presence of cations and subsequent DNA binding efficacies. These polymers are then studied for their epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) specific siRNA delivery in HeLa cells. The homopolymers of MPC and their copolymers show efficient EGFR knockdown efficacies in HeLa cells both in the presence and absence of serum proteins.
