Evidence of an inverted hexagonal phase in self-assembled phospholipid-DNA-metal complexes

摘要

We report the first observation of an inverted hexagonal phase of phospholipid-DNA-metal complexes. These ternary complexes are formed in a, self-assembled manner when water solutions of neutral lipid dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE), DNA and divalent metal cations (Me2+; Me = Fe, Co, Mg, Mn) are mixed, which represents a striking example of supramolecular chemistry. The structure, derived from synchrotron X-ray diffraction, consists of cylindrical DNA strands coated by neutral lipid monolayers and arranged on a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice (H-11(c)). Besides the fundamental aspects, DOPE-DNA-Me2+ complexes may be of great interest as efficient nonviral delivery systems in gene therapy applications because of the low inherent cytotoxicity and the potential high transfection efficiency.