Improved in vitro gene transfer mediated by fluorinated lipoplexes in the presence of a bite salt surfactant

Background Progress in the field of gene transfer with non-viral vectors requires systems that allow efficient gene expression in the presence of biological fluids such as pulmonary surfactants, for gene transfer to the respiratory epithelium for cystic fibrosis gene therapy, or bile salts (which contain powerful anionic detergents), for gene transfer to the biliary epithelium for gene therapy of the hepatobiliary disease associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). We have performed a comparative analysis of the disintegration and DNA accessibility of fluorinated and conventional lipoplexes, and their in vitro transfection potential in the presence of a powerful biliary surfactant. Methods The disintegration and DNA accessibility of conventional and fluorinated cationic lipoplexes and their in vitro transfection efficiency of human lung carcinoma epithelial A549 cells were studied in the presence of various concentrations of sodium taurocholate (STC), an anionic bile salt detergent. The conventional and fluorinated lipoplexes were formulated from Transfectam(R) (or DOGS) and from fluorinated lipospermines, analogs of DOGS, respectively, and a luciferase reporter plasmid. The fluorinated lipids used in the present study were selected for their different degrees of fluorination in order to investigate the impact on stability and transfection. The effects of the detergent on lipoplex integrity were examined by evaluating the ability of the lipospermines to prevent, in the presence of the surfactant, ethidium bromide (BET) intercalation into the plasmid (fluorescence monitoring). Results Fluorinated cationic lipoplexes exhibited greater stability than DOGS lipoplexes with respect to STC lyric activity. Indeed, while the DOGS lipoplexes were fully disintegrated at a [STC]/[lipid] molar ratio of 1320, all the DNA intercalation sites of the most fluorinated lipoplexes investigated became accessible to BET for a two-fold higher [STC]/[Iipid] molar ratio. A higher transfection potential in the presence of the detergent was also shown the fluorinated lipoplexes as compared with the DOGS preparation. At a 10 mM concentration of STC and at a [STC]/[lipid] molar ratio of 264, when mediated by DOGS was fully inhibited while the detergent no inhibitory effects on the lipofection mediated by the fluorinated DF4C11-GS [spermine-5-carboxyglycine N,N-di-11(F-butyl)-undecylamide] or DF6E11-GS {spermine-5-carboxyglycine N,N-di-[11-(F-hexyl)-undec-10-enyl]amide} lipospermines. A higher detergent concentration (up to 17.5 mM) and a higher [STC]/[lipid] ratio (up to 462) were necessary to inhibit lipofection by the fluorinated formulations. Overall, the lipoplex stability and transfection potential in the presence of the detergent was found to improve with increasing degrees of fluorination of the lipospermines. Conclusions The present work shows improved stability of, and higher lipofection levels with, fluorinated lipoplexes in the presence of surfactants. The results confirm the very promising potential of fluorinated lipoplexes as gene transfer vectors. These compounds constitute a very attractive alternative to their more conventional homologs. The correlation found between the degree of fluorination of the lipoplexes, their stability and their lipofection levels suggests that enhanced lipophobic and hydrophobic properties protect them against disintegration and, consequently, prevents DNA from being degraded and from interacting with lipophilic and hydrophilic biocompounds responsible for lipofection inhibition. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.