Gene delivery zeta-potential

Ciani, L., Ristori, S., Salvati, A., Calamai, L., Martini, G. (2004) DOTAP/DOPE and DC-Chol/DOPE lipoplexes for gene delivery zeta potential measurements and electron spin resonance spectra. Biochim. Biophys. Acta., 1664(1), 70-79. 

There is relatively little physical understanding of why certain preparation conditions of nonviral gene vectors generate better gene expression than others [68]. This deficiency has hindered the development of nonviral gene delivery vectors, since relatively few reports quantitatively evaluate DNA complex structure and composition, especially as it relates to gene delivery efficiency. Some structural and physical characteristics, including shape, size, and zeta potential, have been studied for various synthetic DNA delivery systems and have, in some instances, been related to transfection efficiency. 

Serum albumin has also been tested as NPs for gene delivery. Mo et al. [88] encapsulated the DNA into human serum albumin (HSA) by a desolvationcrosslinking method to produce DNA-HSA NPs having a mean size of 120 nm and zeta potential of —44 mV. The DNA-HSA NPs were easily taken up by the cells via receptor-mediated endocytosis that involved primarily caveolae pathways. Within the cells, DNA-HSA NPs protected the DNA against nuclease attack and showed sustained release of DNA over 6 days without significant cytotoxicity. The overall transfection rate was found to be fivefold higher than obtained with Lipofectamine. 

Key biophysical particle properties such as size, zeta potential, and particle stability can potentially vary based on the solution used for characterization. In particular, it has been demonstrated that gene delivery particles can have lower efficacy in the presence of serum. When leading poly(beta-amino ester)s from the second generation polymer library were characterized in the presence of serum, there were differential changes... 

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