title: Ocular delivery of compacted DNA-nanoparticles does not elicit toxicity in the mouse retina.
abstract: Subretinal delivery of polyethylene glycol-substituted lysine peptide (CK30PEG)-compacted DNA nanoparticles results in efficient gene expression in retinal cells. This work evaluates the ocular safety of compacted DNA nanoparticles. CK30PEG-compacted nanoparticles containing an EGFP expression plasmid were subretinally injected in adult mice (1 microl at 0.3, 1.0 and 3.0 microg/microl). Retinas were examined for signs of inflammation at 1, 2, 4 and 7 days post-injection. Neither infiltration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils or lymphocytes was detected in retinas. In addition, elevation of macrophage marker F4/80 or myeloid marker myeloperoxidase was not detected in the injected eyes. The chemokine KC mRNA increased 3-4 fold in eyes injected with either nanoparticles or saline at 1 day post-injection, but returned to control levels at 2 days post-injection. No elevation of KC protein was observed in these mice. The monocyte chemotactic protein-1, increased 3-4 fold at 1 day post-injection for both nanoparticle and saline injected eyes, but also returned to control levels at 2 days. No elevations of tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA or protein were detected. These investigations show no signs of local inflammatory responses associated with subretinal injection of compacted DNA nanoparticles, indicating that the retina may be a suitable target for clinical nanoparticle-based interventions.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States of America. xi-qin-ding@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Xi-Qin
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Alexander B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Quiambao
authors.forename: J Browning
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Shannon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Conley
authors.forename: Muna I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Naash
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004337:Drug Carriers; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D004247:DNA