Cholic Acid-Modified Poiyethylenimine for Gene Delivery into Human Carcinoma Cells

摘要

Poiyethylenimine (PEI) was modified by cholic acid at a molar ratio of 1:1. Cholic acid (CA)-modified PEI (PEI-CA) were evaluated for formation of DNA complexes. PEI-CA/pEGFP plasmid DNA complexes were characterized for their size and zeta potential. Gel electrophoresis showed total retardation for PEI-CA/pEGFP complexes formed at weight ratios above 0.25. The particle size and zeta potential of the complexes at a polymer-to-DNA ratio of 0.5 were 295.3 nm and 30.5 mV, respectively. The transfection efficiency of PEI-CA/pEGFP complexes was comparable to unmodified PEI. Cytotoxicity result showed that PEI-CA had lower cytoxicity than PEI. This study suggests that PEI-CA has potential utility as a gene delivery carrier.