Targeted gene delivery to skin cells in vivo: A comparative study of liposomes and polymers as delivery vehicles

✍ Scribed by Nalini Raghavachari; William E. Fahl

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 235 KB
• Volume: 91
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3549
• DOI: 10.1002/jps.10061

✦ Synopsis

Liposomes are microscopic lipid membrane vesicles that provide a current strategy for topical, dermal delivery of biologically active molecules. They have been successfully used for the delivery of various low and high molecular weight molecules into the skin, and as an alternative to virus-mediated delivery systems, have opened the ®eld of dermal gene therapy. The present study was undertaken on 6-day-old rat pups to determine in vivo the ef®cacy of several liposome and nonliposome formulations, including phospholipid liposomes and their cationic or pegylated variants, nonionic liposomes and their cationic variant, PINC polymer (Protective, Interactive, Noncondensing polymers), and a propylene glycol:alcohol:water mixture (delivery vehicle for minoxidil) in delivering b-galactosidase and luciferase reporter genes into skin cells. Based upon our observations of the expression of b-galactosidase and luciferase reporter genes in skin cells, we report here that nonionic liposomes are the most ef®cient vehicle for transdermal delivery followed by nonionic/cationic and phospholipid (pegylated) liposomes. The propylene glycol:ethanol:water mixture and the PINC polymer were relatively inef®cient in the delivery of b-galactosidase or luciferase DNAs. This simple, noninvasive technique of using nonionic liposomes to deliver biomolecules provides an ef®cient delivery strategy for gene therapy and drug delivery to the dermal organ site.