Cationic gemini surfactants have strong potential as compaction agents of nucleic acids for efficient non-viral gene delivery. In this work, we present the aggregation behavior of three novel cationic serine-based gemini surfactants as well as their ability to compact DNA per se and mixed with a helper lipid, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE). All the surfactants have a 12-12...

Ionic liquid solutions of cellulose or dopes can be spun into Lyocell-type textile fibers by dry-jet wet spinning. An extruded dope is drawn over an air gap into water, where the water hydrates the ionic liquid and cellulose is regenerated. Spinnability studies have concentrated on the deformation and failure modes in the air gap and thus the rheology of the unhydrated spinning dope. Herein, a ...

We have recently discovered that cationic cholesterol derivatives characterized by guanidinium polar headgroups are very efficient for gene transfection in vitro and in vivo. In spite of being based on some rationale at the molecular level, the development of these new synthetic vectors was nevertheless empirical. Indeed, the factors and processes underlying cationic lipid-mediated gene transfe...

Synthetically modified mRNA is a unique bioactive agent, ideal for use in therapeutic applications, such as cancer vaccination or treatment of single-gene disorders. In order to facilitate mRNA transfections for future therapeutic applications, there is a need for the delivery system to achieve optimal transfection efficacy, perform with durable stability, and provide drug safety. The objective...

The design, synthesis and biological evaluation of the cationic lipid gene delivery vectors based on cholesterol and natural amino acids lysine or histidine are described. Cationic liposomes composed of the newly synthesized cationic lipids 1a or 1b and neutral lipid DOPE (1,2-dioleoyl-L-α-glycero-3-phosphatidyl-ethanolamine) exhibited good transfection efficiency. pEGFP-N1 plasmid DNA was tran...

Transfection of cells by DNA for the purposes of gene therapy can be effectively engineered through the use of cationic lipid/DNA "lipoplexes", although the transfection efficiency of these complexes is sensitive to the neutral "helper" lipid included. Here, neutron reflectivity has been used to investigate the role of the helper lipid present during the interaction of these lipoplexes with mod...

WALP peptides consist of repeating alanine-leucine sequences of different lengths, flanked with tryptophan "anchors" at each end. They form membrane-spanning alpha-helices in lipid membranes, and mimic protein transmembrane domains. WALP peptides of increasing length, from 19 to 31 amino acids, were incorporated into N-monomethylated dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE-Me) at concentrations ...

Cationic lipid-mediated gene transfer is widely used for their advantages over viral gene transfer because it is non-immunogenic, easy to produce and not oncogenic. The main drawback of the application of cationic lipids is their low transfection efficiency. Many reports about transfection efficiency of cationic lipids have been published in recent years. In this review, the current status and ...

A protein conformation transition from random coil and/or helical conformation to beta-sheet is known to be central to the process used by silk-spinning spiders and insects to convert concentrated protein solutions to tough insoluble threads. Several factors including pH, metallic ions, shear force, and/or elongational flow can initiate this transition in both spiders and silkworms. Here, we re...

Cholesterol 3-sulphate (CS) is a component of the intercellular lipid found in the uppermost layer of human epidermis (the 'stratum corneum') and is thought to play an important role in tissue cohesion. In this investigation we have compared the influence of cholesterol (CH) and CS on the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase behaviour, the polymorphic phase behaviour, and the hydrocarbon order profi...