Pharmaceuticals (Jun 2012)

Physical Factors Affecting Plasmid DNA Compaction in Stearylamine-Containing Nanoemulsions Intended for Gene Delivery

  • Eryvaldo Socrates Tabosa do Egito,
  • Francisco Alexandrino,
  • Lourena Mafra Verissimo,
  • Lucymara Fassarella Agnez-Lima,
  • Lucila Carmem Monte Egito,
  • André Leandro Silva,
  • Anselmo Gomes de Oliveira

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ph5060643
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 6
pp. 643 – 654

Abstract

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Cationic lipids have been used in the development of non-viral gene delivery systems as lipoplexes. Stearylamine, a cationic lipid that presents a primary amine group when in solution, is able to compact genetic material by electrostatic interactions. In dispersed systems such as nanoemulsions this lipid anchors on the oil/water interface confering a positive charge to them. The aim of this work was to evaluate factors that influence DNA compaction in cationic nanoemulsions containing stearylamine. The influence of the stearylamine incorporation phase (water or oil), time of complexation, and different incubation temperatures were studied. The complexation rate was assessed by electrophoresis migration on agarose gel 0.7%, and nanoemulsion and lipoplex characterization was done by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The results demonstrate that the best DNA compaction process occurs after 120 min of complexation, at low temperature (4 ± 1 °C), and after incorporation of the cationic lipid into the aqueous phase. Although the zeta potential of lipoplexes was lower than the results found for basic nanoemulsions, the granulometry did not change. Moreover, it was demonstrated that lipoplexes are suitable vehicles for gene delivery.

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