Self-assembly nanomicelles based on cationic mPEG-PLA-b-Polyarginine(R15) triblock copolymer for siRNA delivery

Due to the absence of safe and effective carriers for in vivo delivery, the applications of small interference RNA (siRNA) in clinic for therapeutic purposes have been limited. In this study, a biodegradable amphiphilic tri-block copolymer (mPEG2000-PLA3000-b-R15) composed of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol), poly(d,l-lactide) and polyarginine was synthesized and further self-assembled to cationic polymeric nanomicelles for in vivo siRNA delivery, with an average diameter of 54.30 ± 3.48 nm and a zeta potential of approximately 34.8 ± 1.77 mV. The chemical structures of the copolymers were well characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and FT-IR spectra. In vitro cytotoxicity and hemolysis assays demonstrated that the polymeric nanomicelles showed greater cell viability and haemocompatibility than those of polyethyleneimine (PEI) or R15 peptide. In vitro experiments demonstrated that EGFR targeted siRNA formulated in micelleplexes exhibited approximately 65% inhibition of EGFR expression on MCF-7 cells in a sequence-specific manner, which was comparable to Lipofectamine™ 2000. The results of intravenous administration showed Micelleplex/EGFR-siRNA significantly inhibited tumor growth in nude mice xenografted MCF-7 tumors, with a remarkable inhibition of EGFR expression. Furthermore, no positive activation of the innate immune responses and no significant body weight loss was observed during treatment suggested that this polymeric micelle delivery system is non-toxic. In conclusion, the present nanomicelles based on cationic mPEG2000-PLA3000-b-R15 copolymer would be a safe and efficient nanocarrier for in vivo delivery of therapeutic siRNA.