Polyisobutylcyanoacrylate nanocapsules containing an aqueous core as a novel colloidal carrier for the delivery of oligonucleotides.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of the present paper was to encapsulate oligonucleotides in a new particulate carrier in order to protect them from enzymatic degradation.


METHODS
Nanocapsules with an aqueous core containing oligonucleotides were prepared by interfacial polymerization of isobutylcyanoacrylate in a W/O emulsion. Ultracentrifugation and re-suspension in water yielded a dispersion of these containing an aqueous core nanocapsules. Zeta potential measurements and quenching of fluorescence of fluorescein-bounded oligonucleotides were used to study the localization of the oligonucleotides. Oligonucleotide degradation studies were carried out in fetal calf serum.


RESULTS
Polydisperse nanocapsules of size ranging from 20 to 400 nm were obtained. Oligonucleotide loading did not significantly influence the zeta potential, suggesting they were located within the core of the nanocapsules. Fluorescence quenching assays confirmed this localization. When encapsulated in the nanocapsules and incubated in the presence of serum, the oligonucleotides were efficiently protected from degradation by nucleases, whereas oligonucleotides adsorbed onto nanospheres were protected less efficiently.


CONCLUSIONS
This paper describes, for the first time, a nanotechnology able to encapsulate oligonucleotides rather than adsorbing them at the surface of a solid support. Such a formulation has great potential for oligonucleotide delivery.
Lambert
G
G
Laboratoire de Physico-chimie, Pharmacotechnie et Biopharmacie, UMR CNRS 8612, Faculté de Pharmacie, Chatenay-Malabry, France.
Fattal
E
E
Pinto-Alphandary
H
H
Gulik
A
A
Couvreur
P
P
D003102:Colloids; D003487:Cyanoacrylates / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004659:Enbucrilate; D005452:Fluoresceins / Q000737:chemistry; D005453:Fluorescence; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
D003102:Colloids; D003487:Cyanoacrylates; D004337:Drug Carriers; D005452:Fluoresceins; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D011108:Polymers; D004659:Enbucrilate; C007740:fluorexon