Poly(L-lysine) nanostructured particles for gene delivery and hormone stimulation

In this work, we designed replica particles based on Poly (L-lysine) (PLL) polymers crosslinked via a homobifunctional linker to support coadsorption of a plasmid DNA and a peptide hormone for concurrent transfection and induction of a cellular function. PLL replica particles (PLLRP) were prepared by infiltrating polymer into mesoporous silica (MS) particles, crosslinking the adsorbed chains by using a homobifunctional crosslinker and finally removing the template particles. Moreover, we verified their cytotoxicity. Furthermore, based on this PLLRP gene delivery system, we simultaneously evaluated the melanin stimulation and gene expression in these cells by fluorescence microscopy. To further understand the bi-functionality, we labeled the SPT7pTL and PGA-alpha-MSH with YOYO-1 and Rhodamine, respectively, to follow its intracellular pathway by confocal microscopy. Our data suggests that the PLLRP is a promising vector for gene therapy and hormone stimulation. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.