Arginine-conjugated bioreducible poly(disulfide amine) polymers for gene delivery system
An arginine-grafted bioreducible poly(disulfide amine) (“ABP”) as a reagent for efficient and nontoxic gene delivery is described. ABP forms positively charged nano-particles of less than 200 nm with siRNA. ABP is biodegraded under reducing conditions, such as in the cytoplasm. ABP exhibits much higher transfection efficiency than polyethyleneimine in mammalian cells and exhibits no cytotoxicity. ABP is an effective delivery vehicle for gene silencing with siRNA and may be used for treating cancer.
1. A complex comprising an siRNA bonded to an arginine-grafted bioreducible polymer, wherein the arginine-grafted bioreducible polymer is represented by the formula
wherein n is about 1 to about 1000 and m is about 1 to about 18.
2. The complex of claim 1 wherein m is 6.
3. The complex of claim 1 wherein m is 4.
4. The complex of claim 1 wherein m is 2.
5. The complex of claim 1 wherein the siRNA is targeted to vascular endothelial growth factor.
6. The complex of claim 5 wherein the siRNA has a nucleotide sequence as in SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:2.