title: Crosslinked linear polyethylenimine enhances delivery of DNA to the cytoplasm.
abstract: Crosslinked polyethylenimines (PEIs) have been frequently examined over the past decade since they can maintain the transfection efficiency of commercially available, 25k branched PEI, but exhibit less cytotoxicity. The argument is often made that the degradability of such polymers, generally synthesized with either disulfide or hydrolytically degradable crosslinkers, is critical to the high efficiency and low toxicity of the system. In this work, we present a crosslinked linear PEI (xLPEI) system in which either disulfide-responsive or non-degradable linkages are incorporated. As with previous systems, strong transfection efficiency in comparison with commercial standards was achieved with low cytotoxicity. However, these properties were shown to be present when either the degradable or non-degradable crosslinker was used. Uncomplexed polymer was demonstrated to be the critical factor determining transfection efficiency for these polymers, mediating efficient endosomal escape without signs of cell membrane damage. While several crosslinked PEI systems in the literature have demonstrated the effect of the disulfide moiety, this work demonstrates that disulfide-mediated unpackaging may not be as important as conventionally thought for some PEI systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue Rm 66-350, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Bonner
authors.forename: Xiaoyong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Buss
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: Paula T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Hammond
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000737:chemistry*; D003593:Cytoplasm; D004247:DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011992:Endosomes; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids; D011094:Polyethyleneimine / Q000737:chemistry*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D011094:Polyethyleneimine; D004247:DNA