DNA/polyethyleneimine/hyaluronic acid small complex particles and tumor suppression in mice

The highest barriers for non-viral vectors to an efficient in vivo gene transfection would be (1) nonspecific interaction with biological molecules, and (2) large size of the DNA complex particles. Protective coating of the DNA/polyethyleneimine (PEI) complexes by hyaluronic acid (HA) effectively diminished the adverse interactions with biological molecules. Here we found HA also protected the DNA/PEI complexes against aggregation and inactivation through lyophilization-and-rehydration procedures. It allows us to prepare the concentrated very small DNA complex particles (<70 nm) suspension by preparing the complexes at highly diluted conditions, followed by lyophilized-and-rehydrated to a small volume. In vivo gene expression efficiency of the small complex was examined with mice subcutaneously inoculated with B16 melanoma cells. These formulations showed high reporter-gene expression level in tumor after intravenous injection into tumor-bearing mice. Small complex was then made of the plasmid encoding GM-CSF gene, and injected into the mice bearing subcutaneous solid B16 tumor. After intravenous injection, it induced apparent tumor growth suppression in 50% of the mice. Notably, significant therapeutic effect was detected in the mice that received intratumoral injection, and 75% of the mice were completely Cured with disappearance of tumor. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.