Cyclodextrin-scaffolded amphiphilic aminoglucoside clusters: self-assembling and gene delivery capabilities

Precise control over the architecture of gene carriers is instrumental to manipulate gene delivery efficiency. Combining cationic centers and carbohydrate motifs into monodisperse architectures has been proposed as a suitable strategy to impart nucleic acid condensation abilities while preserving biocompatibility. Herein, we have assessed the influence of the arrangement and orientation of cationic elements on the self-assembling and gene transfer capabilities of polycationic glycoamphiphilic cyclodextrins (pGaCDs). For such purposes, a series of cyclodextrin multiconjugates bearing aminoglucoside motifs at their primary rim and hexanoyl chains at the secondary positions were synthesized. In the presence of pDNA, pGaCDs self-assemble into nanoaggregates that promote cellular uptake and gene expression in COS-7 cells with efficiencies that are intimately associated with the arrangement of amino functionalities imposed by the aminoglucoside antennae onto the cyclodextrin-scaffolded cluster. Although transfection efficiencies were lower than those observed for polyethyleneimine (PEI)-based polyplexes and previously-reported polycationic amphiphilic cyclodextrins (paCDs), the results reported herein illustrate (i) the dramatic influence that subtle architectural modifications exert on the supramolecular organization of pGaCDs and (ii) the virtues of monodisperse systems for tailoring gene transfer capabilities.