%0 Journal Article
%T Silencing Bcl-2 Expression in Epithelial Cancer Cells Using ¡°Smart¡± Particles
%A Yen-Ling Lin
%A Guohua Jiang
%A Zhaocheng Zhang
%A Jacques E. N£¿r
%A Mohamed E. H. ElSayed
%J Journal of Functional Biomaterials
%P 167-182
%D 2014
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/jfb5030167
%X Short interfering RNA (siRNA) targeted against anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein proved to knockdown its expression and trigger cancer cell death. We used degradable, pH-sensitive, comb-like [P(EAA-co-BMA)-b-PNASI-g-P(HMA-co-TMAEMA)] polymer to condense anti-Bcl-2 siRNA into ¡°smart¡± particles, which proved to shuttle their cargo past the endosomal membrane and into the cytoplasm of HeLa and UM-SCC-17B cancer cells. HeLa and UM-SCC-17B cancer cells were treated with anti-Bcl-2 particles followed by quantifying Bcl-2 mRNA and protein levels using qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. ¡°Smart¡± anti-Bcl-2 particles selectively suppress Bcl-2 mRNA and protein levels in HeLa cells by 50%¨C60% and 79%¨C81%, respectively. Similarly, ¡°smart¡± anti-Bcl-2 particles inhibited Bcl-2 mRNA levels by 30%, 40%, and 20% upon incubation with UM-SCC-17B cancer cells for 48, 72, and 96 h, respectively. Bcl-2 protein expression in UM-SCC-17B cancer cells was inhibited by 30% after treatment for 72 h. Results show that pH-sensitive comb-like polymer complex anti-Bcl-2 siRNA forming ¡°smart¡± nanoparticles that deliver their cargo into the cytoplasm of HeLa and UM-SCC-17B cancer cells causing Bcl-2 knockdown at the mRNA and protein levels.
%K pH-sensitive comb-like polymers
%K smart particles
%K endosomal escape
%K cytoplasmic siRNA delivery
%K Bcl-2 knockdown
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/5/3/167