Preparation of Poly(Lactic Acid) (PLA) and Poly(Ethylene Oxide) (PEO) Nanoparticles as Carriers for Gene Delivery
Adapted from Gene Transfer: Delivery and Expression of DNA and RNA (ed. Friedmann and Rossi). CSHL Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2007.INTRODUCTION
New nanoparticulate blend compositions based on poly(D,L lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) derivatives have been designed as transmucosal gene carriers. These nanosystems benefit from the inherent biodegradability and low toxicity of their components and the mild conditions required for their preparation. In addition, specific advantages of these nanoparticles for in vivo gene delivery are (1) their adequate DNA loading capacity, (2) their ability to control the release of the encapsulated DNA for extended periods of time while preserving its delicate conformational structure as well as its biological activity, and (3) their capacity to overcome the nasal mucosa barrier and transport the associated model DNA vaccine, leading to a significant systemic immune response against the encoded protein. This protocol describes the preparation and characterization of DNA-loaded nanoparticles composed of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and PEO and the use of these particles as transmucosal gene delivery carriers.
