N-hexanoyl chitosan-stabilized magnetic nanoparticles: enhancement of adenoviral-mediated gene expression both in vitro and in vivo

We developed hexanoyl chloride–modified chitosan (Nac-6) stabilized iron oxide nanoparticles (Nac-6-IOPs) as magnetic nanoparticles for viral gene (Ad/LacZ) delivery via magnetofection. This vector, Nac-6-IOPs/Ad/LacZ, binds to K562 cells in the presence of external magnetic fields and results in enhanced expression of the transgene in those cells that do not exhibit the coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR). Our results demonstrate that Nac-6-IOPs/Ad/LacZ is able to transduce K562 cells specifically with reduced infection of CAR– cells. The dramatic enhancement in intracellular trafficking of the adenovirus without genetically modified vesicles can lead to enhanced nuclear transfer, especially in CAR– cells. In vivo magnetofection results also clearly demonstrated that the present Nac-6-IOPs could be applied in other cell lines. Whether cells or organs, in the presence of magnetic fields Nac-6-IOPs/Ad/LacZ has high transduction efficiency. The newly formulated Nac-6-IOPs, introduced by magnetofection, provide a high-throughput gene screening both in vitro and in vivo.