Transfection lipid mixture preparation

The helper effects of DOPE and cholesterol appear to be hydrocarbon chain-specific. This is demonstrated in studies of their mixtures with a series of alkyl acyl carnitine esters (alkyl 3-acyloxy-4-trimethylammonium butyrate chloride) tested with CV-1 cell culture (monkey fibroblast) [127]. The influence of the aliphatic chain length (n - 12-18) on transfection in vitro was determined using cationic liposomes prepared from these lipids and their mixtures with the helper lipids DOPE and cholesterol (Fig. 30). Both helper lipids provided for significant transfection enhancements in an apparently chain-specific manner, with the highest effects found for short-chain lipids with diC12 0 and diC14 0 chains in 1 1 mixtures with the respective helper lipid. 

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