Efficient in vitro siRNA delivery and intramuscular gene silencing using PEG-modified PAMAM dendrimers

Mol Pharm. 2012 Jun 4;9(6):1812-21. doi: 10.1021/mp3001364. Epub 2012 May 14.

Abstract

Although siRNA techniques have been broadly applied as a tool for gene knockdown, substantial challenges remain in achieving efficient delivery and in vivo efficacy. In particular, the low efficiency of target gene silencing in vivo is a critical limiting step to the clinical application of siRNA therapies. Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers are widely used as carriers for drug and gene delivery; however, in vivo siRNA delivery by PAMAM dendrimers remains to be carefully investigated. In this study, the effectiveness of G5 and G6 PAMAM dendrimers with 8% of their surface amines conjugated to MPEG-5000 was studied for siRNA delivery in vitro and for intramuscular in vivo delivery in mice. The results from the PEG-modified dendrimers were compared to the results from the parent dendrimers as well as Lipofectamine 2000 and INTERFERin. Both PEG-modifed dendrimers protect the siRNA from being digested by RNase and gave high transfection efficiency for FITC-labeled siRNA in the primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and mouse peritoneal macrophages. The PEG-modified dendrimers achieved knockdown of both plasmid (293A cells) and adenovirus-mediated green fluorescence protein (GFP) expression (Cos7 cells) in vitro with efficiency similar to that shown for Lipofectamine 2000. We further demonstrated in vivo that intramuscular delivery of GFP-siRNA using PEG-modified dendrimer significantly suppressed GFP expression in both transiently adenovirus infected C57BL/6 mice and GFP transgenic mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • COS Cells
  • Cell Line
  • Cricetinae
  • Dendrimers / chemistry*
  • Female
  • Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate / chemistry
  • Gene Silencing / physiology*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / metabolism
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry*
  • RNA, Small Interfering / administration & dosage*
  • RNA, Small Interfering / chemistry
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics*

Substances

  • Dendrimers
  • PEG-PAMAM
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate