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Promising gene delivery system based on polyethylenimine-modified silica nanoparticles

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Abstract

This article reports on the synthesis and full characterization of innovative silica-based nanoparticle composed of fumed silica as a core decorated with polyethylenimine (PEI) with different molecular weights (25, 10 and 1.8 kDa). Wide range of analytical, spectroscopic, and microscopic methods (TEM, DLS, ζ potential, elemental analysis (EA), TNBS and FTIR) were used to characterize the nanoparticles. Furthermore, transfection efficiency of these nanoparticles as non-viral vector was examined. The silica-PEI conjugates retained both the ability of PEI to fully condense plasmid DNA at low N/P ratios and suitable buffering capacity at the endosomal pH range. PEI-functionalized silica remarkably enhanced EGFP-N1 gene expression in murine neuroblastoma (Neuro-2A) cells up to 38 folds compared to PEI 25 kDa. Meanwhile the results of the cytotoxicity assays indicated that these silica-PEI conjugates have acceptable level of viability.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. (Grant number: 3.29767). Financial support from Iran Nanotechnology Initiative council is acknowledged. We would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Sara Amel Farzad at Pharmaceutical Research Center for her technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

    M Babaei, H Eshghi & M Rahimizadeh

  2. Pharmaceutical Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Kh Abnous & M Ramezani

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  1. M Babaei
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  2. H Eshghi
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Correspondence to H Eshghi or M Ramezani.

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Babaei, M., Eshghi, H., Abnous, K. et al. Promising gene delivery system based on polyethylenimine-modified silica nanoparticles. Cancer Gene Ther 24, 156–164 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/cgt.2016.73

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