Bo Yu1, Yan Jin2, Xulang Zhang1, Xiaojuan Yang3, Chee Guan Koh4, Robert J. Lee5, Natarajan Muthusamy6, John Byrd7, and James Lee8. (1) The Ohio State University, 140 West 19th Avenue, columbus, OH 43210, (2) NSF Center for Affordable Nanoengineering of Polymeric Biomedical Devices, The Ohio State University, 140 West 19th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, (3) Pharmacy department, pharmacy college, 500w.12th Ave, Parks hall, Columbus, OH 43210, (4) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, 140 West 19th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, (5) College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, 542 Parks Hall, 500 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, (6) HEALTH SCIENCES, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 410 W 12TH AVE, COLUMBUS, OH 43210, (7) Hematology & Oncology, CLLEGE OF MEDICINE, B302 STAR LOVNG,320 W 10TH AVE ,OLUMBUS, OH 43210, Columbus, (8) Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Room 125A, Koffolt Labs., 140W. 19th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210
The recent discovery of cellular endogenous oligonucletides (ONs) such as antisense ODNs, siRNAs and microRNAs (miRs)--short DNA and RNA sequences that regulate their translation rate by binding to target mRNAs--has broadened the potential application of oligonucleotide-based therapeutic approaches. Alterations in cellular levels of ONs are mechanistically relevant to malignant transformation through deregulation of target oncogene or tumor suppressor gene expression in human malignancies. Despite these novel strategies, however, the problem of efficient delivery of oligonucleotide compounds remains unsolved. Multi-functional nanoparticles, defined as nanoscale particulate entities designed for overcoming various barriers in drug delivery, can be regarded as a possible solution to this problem. We formulate several ONs such as CpG-ODN and miR-29b into leukemia-targeted lipopolyplexes with PEG coating and antibody targeting. Characterization and transfection efficiency are evaluated. Particle size and zeta-potential are also measured. Using several leukemia cell lines as a model, cell viability and gene transfection efficiency as well as protein down regulation are examined. In addition to in vitro study, leukemia cells are implanted into nude mice to grow solid tumor and immunolipopolyplexes are injected. Measurements of tumor size and mice survival rate, analysis of the mRNA and protein down regulation in tumor tissue by cell and molecular level, and pharmacokinetics study for nanoparticles are also carried out. We compare the transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity of free ONs and their nanoparticles both in vitro and in vivo.