Search for: All records

Simultaneous delivery of small molecules and nucleic acids using a single vehicle can lead to novel combination treatments and multifunctional carriers for a variety of diseases. In this study, we report a novel library of aminoglycoside-derived lipopolymers nanoparticles (LPNs) for the simultaneous delivery of different molecular cargoes including nucleic acids and small-molecules. The LPN library was screened for transgene expression efficacy following delivery of plasmid DNA, and lead LPNs that showed high transgene expression efficacies were characterized using hydrodynamic size, zeta potential, 1 H NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. LPNs demonstrated significantly higher efficacies for transgene expression than 25 kDa polyethyleneamine (PEI) and lipofectamine, including in presence of serum. Self-assembly of these cationic lipopolymers into nanoparticles also facilitated the delivery of small molecule drugs ( e.g. doxorubicin) to cancer cells. LPNs were also employed for the simultaneous delivery of the small-molecule histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor AR-42 together with plasmid DNA to cancer cells as a combination treatment approach for enhancing transgene expression. Taken together, our results indicate that aminoglycoside-derived LPNs are attractive vehicles for simultaneous delivery of imaging agents or chemotherapeutic drugs together with nucleic acids for different applications in medicine and biotechnology.