Synthesis and study of the complex formation of a cationic alkyl-chain bola amino alcohol with DNA: in vitro transfection efficiency

Recent studies point out that bolaamphiphiles can be used in nonviral gene therapy. Due to their bipolar character, they may span a membrane and thus stabilize or destabilize it which could be relevant for DNA transfer across a biological membrane. Since there are only very few studies on bolaamphiphile application in DNA transfection, it is difficult to assess whether they will bring additional advantages to the class of nonviral vectors. A bolaamphiphile with a hydrophobic chain of 22 carbon atoms with trimethylammonium and hydroxyl groups at each end was synthesized (22-hydroxydocos-1-yl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide). The bolaamphiphile conferred stability and lowered the zeta potential of vesicles of a cationic lipid. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry experiments have shown that this bolaamphiphile can transfect the green fluorescent protein plasmid in cells if mixed with a cationic lipid. It can compete with standard cationic lipids in terms of transfection but is at the same time less toxic. The potential of this class of molecules in gene delivery results from the fact that they will confer high stability to the DNA vector.