title: Transgene delivery using poly(amino ether)-gold nanorod assemblies.
abstract: Gold nanorods (GNRs) have emerged as promising nanomaterials for biosensing, imaging, photothermal treatment, and therapeutic delivery for several diseases, including cancer. We have generated poly(amino ether)-functionalized gold nanorods (PAE-GNRs) using a layer-by-layer deposition approach; polymers from a poly(amino ether) library recently synthesized in our laboratory were employed to generate the PAE-GNR assemblies. PAE-GNR assemblies demonstrate long-term colloidal stability as well as the capacity to bind plasmid DNA by means of electrostatic interactions. Sub-toxic concentrations of PAE-GNRs were employed to deliver plasmid DNA to prostate cancer cells in vitro. PAE-GNRs generated using 1,4C-1,4Bis, a cationic polymer from our laboratory demonstrated significantly higher transgene expression and exhibited lower cytotoxicities when compared to similar assemblies generated using 25 kDa poly(ethylene imine) (PEI25k-GNRs), a current standard for polymer-mediated gene delivery. The roles of polyelectrolyte chemistry and zeta-potential in determining transgene expression efficacies of PAE-GNR assemblies were investigated. Our results indicate that stable and effective PAE-GNR assemblies are a promising engineered platform for transgene delivery. PAE-GNRs also have the potential to be used simultaneously for photothermal ablation, photothermally enhanced drug and gene delivery, and biological imaging, thus making them a powerful theranostic platform.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-6106, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Kaushal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rege
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004337:Drug Carriers; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D010957:Plasmids; D011073:Polyamines / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D011073:Polyamines; D006046:Gold; D004247:DNA