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New Biocompatible Nanohydrogels of Predefined Sizes for Complexing Nucleic Acids.
Lakshmanan Eswaran1, Gila Kazimirsky1, Gerardo Byk1
1Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology, Department of Chemistry, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel.
Pharmaceutics
|February 25, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed novel nanohydrogels (NHGs) for efficient nucleic acid delivery. These NHGs show low toxicity and can encapsulate DNA, offering potential for gene therapy and protein expression applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Gene Therapy
Background:
- Advancements in mRNA protein expression and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing necessitate improved in vivo nucleic acid delivery systems.
- Current delivery methods face challenges in efficiency and safety for therapeutic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, synthesize, and characterize novel cross-linked monodispersed nanohydrogels (NHGs) for enhanced nucleic acid delivery.
- To evaluate the potential of these NHGs for in vivo gene delivery and foreign protein expression.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of NHGs via polymerization of thermo-responsive monomer self-assemblies at high temperatures.
- Chemical reduction of NHGs to achieve a highly positive zeta potential.
- Characterization of NHG size (50-400 nm), zeta potential, and cell toxicity.
- Formation and characterization of NHG-DNA complexes at optimal charge ratios.
Main Results:
- Monodispersed NHGs with controlled sizes (50-400 nm) were successfully synthesized.
- NHGs exhibited a highly positive zeta potential and low inherent cell toxicity.
- Stable NHG-DNA complexes were formed with DNA fully embedded within the NHGs.
- The size of NHG-DNA complexes was tunable and correlated with NHG size.
Conclusions:
- The novel NHGs are promising, non-toxic candidates for nucleic acid delivery.
- Their tunable size and efficient DNA encapsulation support their potential for gene delivery and protein expression applications.
- These findings contribute to the development of advanced nanocarriers for genetic medicine.
