Multilayered Polyelectrolyte Assemblies as Platforms for Surface-Mediated Delivery of DNA

摘要

Layer-by-layer methods for the fabrication of polyelectrolyte assemblies provide nanometer-scale control over the compositions and thicknesses of multilayered polymer films and have thus been investigated broadly in the context of potential biomedical applications. The ability to incorporate layers of biological polyelectrolytes into these materials without loss of biological function renders these materials attractive as platforms for the controlled release of DNA, proteins, or other macromolecular therapeutics. We have added functionality to this class of multilayered assemblies by synthesizing and incorporating into these materials synthetic polyamines that can be degraded in aqueous media. The incorporation of hydrolytically degradable polyamines into multilayered assemblies introduces a means of promoting the disruption of these materials in physiologically relevant environments. For example, we have demonstrated in past studies that assemblies up to 100 nm thick can be fabricated from alternating layers of degradable polyamines and plasmid DNA encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), and that these assemblies erode gradually and can be used to direct the localized, surface-mediated expression of EGFP when placed in contact with mammalian cells.