Octadecyl chain-bearing PEGylated poly(propyleneimine)-based dendrimersomes : physicochemical studies, redox-responsiveness, DNA condensation, cytotoxicity and gene delivery to cancer cells

Laskar, Partha and Somani, Sukrut and Mullin, Margaret and Tate, Rothwelle and Warzecha, Monika and Bowering, Deborah and Keating, Patricia and Irving, Craig and Leung, Hing Y and Dufès, Christine (2021) Octadecyl chain-bearing PEGylated poly(propyleneimine)-based dendrimersomes : physicochemical studies, redox-responsiveness, DNA condensation, cytotoxicity and gene delivery to cancer cells. Biomaterials Science, 9 (4). pp. 1431-1448. ISSN 2047-4830 (https://doi.org/10.1039/d0bm01441a)

[thumbnail of Laskar-etal-BS-2020-Octadecyl-chain-bearing-PEGylated-poly-propyleneimine-based-dendrimersomes]
Preview
Text. Filename: Laskar_etal_BS_2020_Octadecyl_chain_bearing_PEGylated_poly_propyleneimine_based_dendrimersomes.pdf
Accepted Author Manuscript

Download (2MB)| Preview

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers have become increasingly important for nucleic acid and drug delivery in cancer therapy. Here, we report the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of disulphide-linked, octadecyl (C18 alkyl) chain-bearing PEGylated generation 3-diaminobutyric polypropylenimine dendrimer-based vesicles (or dendrimersomes) for gene delivery. The lipid-bearing PEGylated dendrimer was successfully synthesized through in situ two-step reaction. It was able to spontaneously self-Assemble into stable, cationic, nanosized vesicles, with low critical aggregation concentration value, and also showed redox-responsiveness in presence of a glutathione concentration similar to that of the cytosolic reducing environment. In addition, it was able to condense more than 70% of DNA at dendrimer: DNA weight ratios of 5 : 1 and higher. This dendriplex resulted in an enhanced cellular uptake of DNA at dendrimer: DNA weight ratios of 10 : 1 and 20 : 1, by up to 16-fold and by up to 28-fold compared with naked DNA in PC-3 and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines respectively. At a dendrimer: DNA weight ratio of 20 : 1, it led to an increase in gene expression in PC-3 and DU145 cells, compared with DAB dendriplex. These octadecyl chain-bearing, PEGylated dendrimer-based vesicles are therefore promising redox-sensitive drug and gene delivery systems for potential applications in combination cancer therapy. This journal is