Innovative technology of engineering magnetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy

The present research study is a novel innovation materials technology to engineer magnetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy and to enhance the localisation and gene expression of a plasmid DNA via magnetic DNA nanoparticles. Spermine (Sm) was chemically introduced to the hydroxyl groups of dextran, a polysaccharide, to obtain cationised dextran (dextran-Sm). When Fe²⁺ solution was added to the mixture of dextran-Sm and a plasmid DNA, DNA nanoparticles were formed via metal coordination. In vitro release test of DNA from DNA nanoparticles revealed that the encapsulation of DNA in the nanoparticles caused the prolonged release of DNA. Significant gene expression was observed when DNA nanoparticles were applied for in vitro gene transfection compared with naked NK4 plasmid DNA. We conclude that the Fe²⁺- coordinated dextran-Sm conjugation is a promising way to enable the plasmid DNA to target to the cells to express specific gene as well as to enhance the localisation of the plasmid DNA. The present study clearly demonstrates the efficacy of DNA nanoparticles on enhancement of in vitro gene expression in cells by dextran-Sm-DNA nanoparticles as a non-viral gene carrier specifically where needed to track the in vivo localisation of the drug using physical equipment such as magnetic resonance images (MRI).