The absence of highly effective delivery systems is a major challenge for gene therapy. Our work was aimed at the development of novel cationic liposomes possessing high transfection efficiency. For this purpose, a novel disulfide polycationic amphiphile 2S4 was synthesized. Cationic liposomes based on 2S4 and a helper lipid DOPE were formed by the thin film hydration method and exhibited effective plasmid DNA delivery into the HEK293 cells, with a transfection activity superior to that of the commercial agent Lipofectamine® 2000. Our results suggest that the polycationic amphiphile 2S4 is a promising candidate for in vitro nucleic acid delivery.
