Hydrolytically Stable Cationic Bis-MPA Dendrimers as Efficient Transfectants for Glioblastoma Cells and Primary Astrocytes

We report the biological evaluation of bis-MPA dendrimers terminated with either cysteamine (CYS) or 2-(dimethylamino)ethanethiol (DA) groups for siRNA transfection. The results show that aggregation phenomena are critical to the biological performance of these constructs. Confocal and 2D microscopy...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Buendía, Ángel, Sanz del Olmo, Natalia, Rodríguez Clemente, Irene, Wohlert, Jacob, Sztandera, Krzysztof, San Jacinto García, Jorge, Namata, Faridah, Malkoch, Michael, Ceña, Valentín
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
Repositorio:RUIdeRA. Repositorio Institucional de la UCLM
OAI Identifier:oai:ruidera.uclm.es:10578/47222
Acceso en línea:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.5c01202
https://hdl.handle.net/10578/47222
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.biomac.5c01202
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Cancer
Dendrons
Gene delivery
Genetics
Toxicity
Descripción
Sumario:We report the biological evaluation of bis-MPA dendrimers terminated with either cysteamine (CYS) or 2-(dimethylamino)ethanethiol (DA) groups for siRNA transfection. The results show that aggregation phenomena are critical to the biological performance of these constructs. Confocal and 2D microscopy demonstrated that only the G3-CYS dendrimer transported siRNA into cells. Accordingly, G3-CYS-mediated siRNA transfection reduced intracellular levels of the target proteins─p42-MAPK, Rheb, and MGMT─to 15–25% of control levels in a human glioblastoma cell line and mouse astrocytes. G3-CYS transfection efficiency was similar to that of commercial transfectants. However, its self-degradable bis-MPA backbone and tunable peripheral groups render it markedly superior, making it a promising transfection agent and emphasize the critical balance between structural design, biological efficacy, and safety. Despite its efficacy, G3-CYS displayed a narrow therapeutic window with pronounced cytotoxicity above 1 μM. In vivo studies further confirmed dose-dependent systemic toxicity, likely associated with enhanced blood coagulation.