title: A flexible microneedle array as low-voltage electroporation electrodes for in vivo DNA and siRNA delivery.
abstract: In vivo electroporation is an appealing method to deliver nucleic acid into living tissues, but the clinical application of such a method was limited due to severe tissue damage and poor coverage of the tissue surface. Here we present the validation of a novel flexible microneedle array electrode (MNAE) chip, in which the microneedle array and the flexible substrate are integrated together to simultaneously facilitate low-voltage electroporation and accomplish good coverage of the tissue surface. The efficient delivery of both DNA and siRNA was demonstrated on mice. Upon penetrating the high-resistance stratum corneum, the electroporation voltage was reduced to about 35 V, which was generally recognized safe for humans. Also, a pathological analysis of the microneedle-electroporated tissues was carried out to thoroughly assess the skin damage, which is an important consideration in pre-clinical studies of electroporation devices. This MNAE constitutes a novel way of in vivo delivery of siRNA and DNA to certain tissues or organs with satisfactory efficiency and good adaptation to the tissue surface profile as well as minimum tissue damage, thus avoiding the disadvantages of existing electroporation methods.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China. Huzy@nanoctr.cn.
authors.forename: Zewen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Shuquan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Renxin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiangli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bu
authors.forename: Huailei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Yidi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Zhiyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Zicai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004285:Dogs; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004566:Electrodes; D018274:Electroporation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008845:Microinjections / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009339:Needles; D010957:Plasmids; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D004247:DNA