Hyaluronic acid and chitosan-DNA complex multilayered thin film as surface-mediated nonviral gene delivery system

Sustained release of DNA from the surface of materials represents a promising approach to combine the gene therapy and implantable biomaterials. The nonviral chitosan-DNA complexes were incorporated into the multilayer via layer-by-layer deposition with hyaluronic acid (HA). The UV–vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results showed the successful construction of the nonviral complex contained multilayers. The complexes were releasable in physiological condition and a sustained release manner was gained when the multilayer was crosslinked. The cell viability test and the gene transfection assay showed that the natural polyelectrolyte-based nonviral complex incorporated multilayer not only had good cytocompatibility, but also possessed the in vitro gene transfection ability. This kind of surface-mediated nonviral complex incorporated multilayer may have great potential in the localized and controlled delivery of DNA in biomedical implants and tissue engineering application.