Folate-conjugated Chitosan-poly(ethylenimine) Copolymer As An Efficient and Safe Vector For Gene Delivery in Cancer Cells

Title:Folate-conjugated Chitosan-poly(ethylenimine) Copolymer As An Efficient and Safe Vector For Gene Delivery in Cancer Cells

Volume: 15 Issue: 5

Author(s): Wing-Fu Lai and Marie C. Lin

Affiliation:

Keywords: Chitosan, Folic acid, Gene transfer, Non-viral vectors, Poly(ethylenimine), Targeting.

Abstract: Folic acid (FA) has high affinity to folate receptors (FRs), which have three isoforms: FRα, FRβ and FRγ. Among them, FRα is a tumor specific receptor, as it is frequently over-expressed in diverse malignancies but not in normal tissues. In this study, we have conjugated FA to a chitosan-poly(ethylenimine) copolymer, and have confirmed the low cytotoxicity of the product (namely “CP1.3K-FA”) in cancer cells. The transfection efficiency of CP1.3K-FA has been shown by the EGFP transfection assay to be higher than that of the unmodified chitosan-poly(ethylenimine) copolymer under optimal conditions. Results of the luciferase activity assay have also indicated that the transfection efficiency of CP1.3K-FA is comparable to that of Fugene HD in B16 and U87 cells. Our results have suggested that CP1.3K-FA warrants further development as a vector for gene delivery in cancer cells.

Cite this article as:

Lai Wing-Fu and Lin C. Marie, Folate-conjugated Chitosan-poly(ethylenimine) Copolymer As An Efficient and Safe Vector For Gene Delivery in Cancer Cells, Current Gene Therapy 2015; 15 (5) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1566523215666150812120347