Polysaccharide nano gel encapsulating DNA/polycation complexes for gene delivery

PMSE 244

Yoichi Takeda, takeda@env.kitakyu-u.ac.jp1, Naohiko Shimada, shimada@env.kitakyu-u.ac.jp1, Kenji Kaneko2, Seiji Shinkai2, and Kazuo Sakurai, sakurai@env.kitakyu-u.ac.jp1. (1) Department of Chemical Processes and Environments, The University of Kitakyushu, 1-1, Hibikino, Wakamatu-ku, Kitakyushu, 808-0135, Japan, (2) Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, Motooka 744, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
Cationic polymers form a polyion complex with DNA exploiting multivalent interactions and the complex plays an important role in the cellular uptake of DNA. Generally, polyion complexes are hydrophobic or poorly water-soluble when the mixing composition is close to the isoelectric point, which creates various problems in practical use. On the other hand, a nano-gel made from β-1,3-glucan can encapsulate hydrophobic substrates and make the complex water-soluble. The formation of the nano-gel can be carried out, for example, by dropping β-1,3-glucan/DMSO solution to water or by changing pH from basic to acidic conditions. In this process, i.e., by exchanging DMSO for water, the random coils of β-1,3-glucan in DMSO start to cross-link the segments inter- and intra-molecularly. The resulting nano-gel particles have the hydrophobic space. By taking advantage of this space, we made an attempt to encapsulate a CpG DNA/polycation complex into the nano gel made from β-1,3-glucan schizophyllan and evaluate the transfection and immune responses from APCs.
 

Joint PMSE/POLY Poster Session
6:00 PM-8:00 PM, Tuesday, 12 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster

Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006