Cationic lipid-nanoceria hybrids, a novel nonviral vector-mediated gene delivery into mammalian cells: investigation of the cellular uptake mechanism

Gene therapy is a promising technique for the treatment of various diseases. The development of minimally toxic and highly efficient non-viral gene delivery vectors is the most challenging undertaking in the field of gene therapy. Here, we developed dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DODAB)-nanoceria (CeO2) hybrids as a new class of non-viral gene delivery vectors. These DODAB-modified CeO2 nanoparticles (CeO2/DODAB) could effectively compact the pDNA, allowing for highly efficient gene transfection into the selected cell lines. The CeO2/DODAB nanovectors were also found to be non-toxic and did not induce ROS formation as well as any stress responsive and pro-survival signaling pathways. The overall vector performance of CeO2/DODAB nanohybrids was comparable with lipofectamine and DOTAP, and higher than calcium phosphate and DEAE-dextran for transfecting small plasmids. The increased cellular uptake of the nanovector/DNA complexes through clathrin- and caveolae-mediated endocytosis and subsequent release from the endosomes further support the increased gene transfection efficiency of the CeO2/DODAB vectors. Besides, CeO2/DODAB nanovectors could transfect genes in vivo without any sign of toxicity. Taken together, this new nano-vector has the potential to be used for gene delivery in biomedical applications.