Issue 3, 2023

Cationic lipid modification of DNA tetrahedral nanocages enhances their cellular uptake

Abstract

Self-assembled DNA nanocages are among the most promising candidates for bioimaging and payload delivery into cells. DNA nanocages have great potential to efficiently address drug resistance and nucleic acid delivery problems due to precise control of their shape and size, and excellent biocompatibility. Although DNA nanostructures demonstrate some cellular uptake, because they bear a highly negative charge, the uptake of tetrahedral nanostructures is hindered by electrostatic repulsion. In this study, we describe a method to enhance the cellular uptake of DNA nanostructures using a binary system containing DNA and a positively charged head group with a hydrophobic lipid chain containing lipids for cellular internalization. Here we represent the functionalization of a model cage, DNA tetrahedron (TD) with a cationic lipid, N-[1-(2,3-dioleyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (DOTMA). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and other standard characterization techniques were used to explore the co-assembly of the DNA tetrahedron and DOTMA. We revealed a simple confocal microscopy-based approach to show the enhancement in the cellular uptake of DNA nanocages. This new method will find multiple applications in delivery applications such as gene transfection, drug delivery and targeted bioimaging.

Graphical abstract: Cationic lipid modification of DNA tetrahedral nanocages enhances their cellular uptake

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Okt. 2022
Accepted
06 Des. 2022
First published
09 Des. 2022

Nanoscale, 2023,15, 1099-1108

Cationic lipid modification of DNA tetrahedral nanocages enhances their cellular uptake

R. Singh, P. Yadav, H. Naveena A and D. Bhatia, Nanoscale, 2023, 15, 1099 DOI: 10.1039/D2NR05749B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements