title: Moisture content impacts the stability of DNA adsorbed onto gold microparticles.
abstract: Particle-mediated epidermal delivery (PMED) of small quantities of DNA (0.5-4.0 μg) has been reported to both induce an immune response and protect against disease in human subjects. In order for the PMED of DNA to be a viable technique for vaccination, the adsorbed DNA must be stable during shipping and storage. Here, we report that the storage stability of plasmid DNA adsorbed to 2-μm gold particles is strongly dependent on sample water content. Gold/DNA samples stored at 60°C and 6% relative humidity (RH) maintained supercoil content after 4-month storage, whereas storage at higher RHs facilitated degradation. Storage with desiccants had stabilizing effects on DNA similar to storage at 6% RH. However, storage with "indicating" Drierite and phosphorus pentoxide resulted in enhanced rates of DNA degradation.
authors: University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA.
authors: Tyson J
authors: TJ
authors: Smyth
authors: Jamie
authors: J
authors: Betker
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Wang
authors: Thomas J
authors: TJ
authors: Anchordoquy
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008863:Microspheres; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D006046:Gold; D004247:DNA