title: Effect of head size in head-tail-type polycations on their in vitro performances as nonviral gene vectors.
abstract: Three kinds of head-tail-type block copolymers composed of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendron heads and poly(L-lysine) (PLL) tail blocks (PAMAM dendron-PLL), having PAMAM dendrons with different generations (G2.5-PLL, G3.5-PLL and G4.5-PLL) were synthesized. Some of the dendron heads were located at polyplex surface, and G2.5-PLL and G3.5-PLL could form small polyplexes (less than 150 nm in size). G2.5-PLL and G3.5-PLL polyplexes were taken up into the cells more effectively. PAMAM dendron-PLL that had a larger dendron head could show a more-effective buffering effect. The in vitro performance of the PAMAM dendron-PLL polyplexes was controlled by the balance of cellular uptake and endosomal escape by a buffering effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Naka-ku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531, Japan. harada@chem.osakafu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Toshinari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kono
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D005453:Fluorescence; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011073:Polyamines / Q000737:chemistry*; D000071228:Polyelectrolytes; D014162:Transfection; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D011073:Polyamines; D000071228:Polyelectrolytes