Aminated Poly(glycidyl methacrylate)s for Constructing Efficient Gene Carriers

Aminated poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) vectors could efficiently mediate gene delivery. Recently, we reported that ethanolamine (EA)-functionalized PGMA could provide high transfection efficiency, while exhibiting very low toxicity. Herein, different amine species, including 1-amino-2-propanol (AP1), 3-amino-2-propanol (AP2), EA, and N,N,-dimethylethylenediamine (DED), and its quaternized DED, were proposed to aminate PGMA. The DNA condensation abilities, pH buffering capacities, cytotoxicities, and gene transfection efficiencies of the resultant aminated PGMA vectors were systematically compared. Compared with EA, AP1 (or AP2) contains an additional methyl (or methylene) group. EA-, AP1-, and AP2-functionalized PGMA vectors exhibited similar condensation abilities. The methyl (from AP1) and methylene (from AP2) species could benefit the gene delivery. The transfection performance mediated by AP1-functionalized PGMA is best. DED possesses a tertiary amine group, which could be quaternized to further enhance the DNA condensation ability of aminated PGMA. No obvious increase in cytotoxicity of quaternized DED-aminated PGMA was observed. But both DED- and its quaternized counterpart-functionalized PGMA vectors exhibited very low pH buffering capacities, making them exhibit poor gene transfection performances. The current study would provide useful information for constructing better PGMA-based delivery systems with good biophysical properties.