Conjugation of prostate cancer-specific aptamers to polyethylene glycol-grafted polyethylenimine for enhanced gene delivery to prostate cancer cells

Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers. In this study, a prostate cancer-specific aptamer, Wy5a, was conjugated to polyethylenimine (PEI) with a polyethylene glycol (PEG) linker for prostate cancer-specific gene delivery. PEI-PEG-AS1411 was synthesized as a non-specific control. PEI-PEG-Wy5a formed complexes with plasmid DNA in a spherical form with a diameter of 70 nm and a positive surface-charge. In transfection assays, PEI-PEG-Wy5a had higher gene delivery efficiency to PC-3 prostate cancer cells than did PEI-PEG or PEI-PEG-AS1411, but not in other types of cells. The results suggest that PEI-PEG-Wy5a may be useful for prostate cancer-specific gene delivery. (C) 2019 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.