Cationic Lipid-Based Nucleic Acid Vectors

Abstract

The delivery of nucleic acids into cells remains an important laboratory cell culture technique and potential clinical therapy, based upon the initial cellular uptake, then translation into protein (in the case of DNA), or gene deletion by RNA interference (RNAi). Although viral delivery vectors are more efficient, the high production costs, limited cargo capacity, and the potential for clinical adverse events make nonviral strategies attractive. Cationic lipids are the most widely applied and studied nonviral vectors; however, much remains to be solved to overcome limitations of these systems. Advances in the field of cationic lipid-based nucleic acid (lipoplex) delivery rely upon the development of robust and reproducible lipoplex formulations, together with the use of cell culture assays. This chapter provides detailed protocols towards the formulation, delivery, and assessment of in vitro cationic lipid-based delivery of DNA.

Keywords: Cationic lipids; Charge ratio; Co-lipids; Cytotoxicity; Lipoplexes; Nucleic acid delivery; Particle size; Transfection efficiency.