Cell specific gene silencing effects of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AS-ODN), synthetic small interfering RNA (siRNA-S), and siRNA expressing plasmid (siRNA-P) were comparatively evaluated. Poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and PEI-graft-poly(ethylene glycol)-folate (PEI-PEG-FOL) conjugate were used to form nanosized polyelectrolyte complexes with the above three nucleic acids coding for inhibition o...

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are specialized immune cells that produce massive levels of type I interferon in response to pathogens. Unfortunately, pDC are fragile and extremely rare, rendering their functional study a tough challenge. However, because of their central role in numerous pathologies, there is a considerable need for an efficient and reproducible protocol for gene silencing ...

Polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) micelles modified with cancer cell targeting moieties were prepared for intracellular delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) small interfering RNA (siRNA). A luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) peptide analogue was coupled as a cancer targeting ligand to the distal end of the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-siRNA conjugate. The siRNA-PEG-LHRH co...

We review two strategies for growing ZnO nanowires from zinc salts in aqueous and organic solvents. Wire arrays with diameters in the nanoscale regime can be grown in an aqueous solution of zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine. With the addition of poly(ethylenimine), the lengths of the wires have been increased to 25 mum with aspect ratios over 125. Additionally, these arrays were made vert...