Structural dynamics and physicochemical properties of pDNA/DODAB:MO lipoplexes : effect of pH and anionic lipids in inverted non-lamellar phases versus lamellar phases

• Autor(a) principal: Silva, João P. N.
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Oliveira, I. M. S. C., Oliveira, Ana Cristina Norberto Gonçalves, Lúcio, M., Gomes, A. C., Coutinho, Paulo J. G., Oliveira, M. Elisabete
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/29738
• topic: Lipoplexes; Transfection; Monoolein; Cryo-TEM; FRET; Light scattering; Nile Red; Science & Technology

Dioctadecyldimethylammoniumbromide (DODAB):Monoolein (MO) lipoplexes have mainly been studied within the range of high molar ratios of DODAB, with noticeable transfection efficiencies in the Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK, a.k.a. 293T) cell line. In thiswork,we intend to study the effect of highMOcontent on the structure and physicochemical properties of pDNA/DODAB:MOlipoplexes to achieve some correlationwith their transfection efficiency. Static/Dynamic Light Scattering and Cryo-TEM imaging were used to characterize the size/ morphology of DNA/DODAB:MO lipoplexes at different DODAB:MO contents (2:1, 1:1, 1:2) and charge ratios (CRs) (+/−). Nile Red fluorescence emission was performed to detect changes in microviscosity, hydration and polarity of DNA/DODAB:MO systems. Lipoplexes stability at physiological pH values and in the presence of anionic lipids was evaluated by Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). Physicochemical/structural data were complemented with transfection studies in HEK cells using the β-galactosidase reporter gene activity assay. This work reports the coexistence of multilamellar and non-lamellar inverted phases in MO-richer lipoplexes (DODAB:MO 1:2 and 1:4), leading to transfection efficiencies comparable to those of multilamellar (DODAB-richer) lipoplexes, but at higher charge ratios [CR (+/−) = 6.0] and without dose-effect response. These results may be related to the structural changes of lipoplexes promoted by high MO content.