Development of a calcium phosphate co-precipitate/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) DNA delivery system: release kinetics and cellular transfection studies.

One of the most common non-viral methods for the introduction of foreign deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into cultured cells is calcium phosphate co-precipitate transfection. This technique involves the encapsulation of DNA within a calcium phosphate co-precipitate, particulate addition to in vitro cell culture, endocytosis of the co-precipitate, and exogenous DNA expression by the transfected cell. In this study, we fabricated a novel non-viral gene transfer system by adsorbing DNA, encapsulated in calcium phosphate (DNA/Ca-P) co-precipitates, to biodegradable two- and three-dimensional poly(lactide-co-glycolide) matrices (2D-DNA/Ca-P/PLAGA, 3D-DNA/Ca-P/PLAGA). Co-precipitate release studies demonstrated an initial burst release over the first 48 h. By day 7, approximately 96% of the initially adsorbed DNA/Ca-P co-precipitate had been released. This was followed by low levels of co-precipitate release for 42 days. Polymerase chain reaction was used to demonstrate the ability of the released DNA containing co-precipitates to transfect SaOS-2 cells cultured in vitro on the 3D-DNA/Ca-P/PLAGA matrix and maintenance of the structural integrity of the exogenous DNA. In summary, a promising system for the incorporation and controlled delivery of exogenous genes encapsulated within a calcium phosphate co-precipitate from biodegradable polymeric matrices has been developed and may have applicability to the delivery of therapeutic genes and the transfection of other cell types.