Different strategies for formation of PEGylated EGF-conjugated PEI/DNA complexes for targeted gene delivery

With the aim of generating gene delivery systems for tumor targeting, we have synthesized a conjugate consisting of polyethylenimine (PEI) covalently modified with epidermal growth factor (EGF) peptides. Transfection efficiency of the conjugate was evaluated and compared to native PEI in three tumor cell lines: KB epidermoid carcinoma cells, CMT-93 rectum carcinoma cells, and Renca-EGFR renal carcinoma cells. Depending on the tumor cell line, incorporation of EGF resulted in an up to 300-fold increased transfection efficiency. This ligand-mediated enhancement and competition with free EGF strongly suggested uptake of the complexes through the EGF receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway. Shielded particles being crucial for systemic gene delivery, we studied the effect of covalent surface modification of EGF-PEI/DNA complexes with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) derivative. An alternative way for the formation of PEGylated EGF-containing complexes was also evaluated where EGF was projected away from PEI/DNA core complexes through a PEG linker. Both strategies led to shielded particles still able to efficiently transfect tumor cells in a receptor-dependent fashion. These PEGylated EGF-containing complexes were 10- to 100-fold more efficient than PEGylated complexes without EGF.