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Dextran Microgels for Time‐Controlled Delivery of siRNA
Author(s) -
Raemdonck Koen,
Van Thienen Tinneke G.,
Vandenbroucke Roosmarijn E.,
Sanders Niek N.,
Demeester Joseph,
De Smedt Stefaan C.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.200701039
Subject(s) - gene silencing , gene knockdown , small interfering rna , dextran , materials science , internalization , biophysics , intracellular , gene delivery , green fluorescent protein , transfection , nanotechnology , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , chemistry , gene , biology , biochemistry
To apply siRNA as a therapeutic agent, appropriate attention should be paid to the optimization of the siRNA gene silencing effect, both in terms of magnitude and duration. Intracellular time‐controlled siRNA delivery could aid in tailoring the kinetics of siRNA gene knockdown. However, materials with easily tunable siRNA release properties have not been subjected to thorough investigation thus far. This report describes cationic biodegradable dextran microgels which can be loaded with siRNA posterior to gel formation. Even though the siRNAs are incorporated in the hydrogel network based on electrostatic interaction, still a time‐controlled release can be achieved by varying the initial network density of the microgels. To demonstrate the biological functionality of the siRNA loaded gels, we studied their cellular internalization and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene silencing potential in HUH7 human hepatoma cells.