Journal article
Efficient intranuclear gene delivery by CdSe aqueous quantum dots electrostatically-coated with polyethyleneimine
Materials Research Express, v 2(1), pp 015401/1-015401/14
05 Jan 2015
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconducting nanoparticles with photoluminescence properties that do not photobleach. Due to these advantages, using QDs for non-viral gene delivery has the additional benefit of being able to track the delivery of the genes in real time as it happens. We investigate the efficacy of mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)-capped CdSe aqueous quantum dots (AQDs) electrostatically complexed with branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) both as a non-viral gene delivery vector and as a fluorescent probe for tracking the delivery of genes into nuclei. The MPA-capped CdSe AQDs that were completely synthesized in water were the model AQDs. A nominal MPA:Cd:Se = 4:3:1 was chosen for optimal photoluminescence and zeta potential. The gene delivery study was carried out in vitro using a human colon cancer cell line, HT29 (ATCC). The model gene was a plasmid DNA (pDNA) that can express red fluorescent protein (RFP). Positively charged branched PEI was employed to provide a proton buffer to the AQDs to allow for endosomal escape. It is shown that by using a PEI-AQD complex with a PEI AQD molar ratio of 300 and a nominal pDNA PEI-AQD ratio of 6, we can achieve 75 2.6% RFP expression efficiency with cell vitality remaining at 78 4% of the control.
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Details
- Title
- Efficient intranuclear gene delivery by CdSe aqueous quantum dots electrostatically-coated with polyethyleneimine
- Creators
- Giang H T Au - Drexel University School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems , Philadelphia PA 19104, USAWan Y Shih - Drexel UniversityWei-Heng Shih - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Materials Research Express, v 2(1), pp 015401/1-015401/14
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing
- Number of pages
- 14
- Grant note
- Drexel University-Wallace Coulter Foundation Partnership W81XWH-09-1-0701 / Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (10.13039 100000090)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems; Materials Science and Engineering
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000369978500024
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84953455629
- Other Identifier
- 991019167443504721
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Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Materials Science, Multidisciplinary