Aim: To synthesize the arginine-glycine-aspartic (RGD) functionalized dendrimer-entrapped gold nanoparticles (Au DENPs) for siRNA delivery to induce gene silencing of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
Materials & methods: Au DENPs modified with RGD peptide via a polyethylene glycol spacer were used as a vector of two distinct small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) (VEGFvascular endothelial growth factor siRNA and B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 siRNA), and the physicochemical properties, cytocompatibility and transfection efficiency of Au DENP/siRNA polyplexes were characterized.
Results: The Au DENP/siRNA polyplexes with good cytocompatibility and highly efficient transfection capacity can be used for the transfection of siRNAs.
Conclusion: The developed functional RGD-modified Au DENPs may be used for efficient gene therapy of different types of cancer.
Keywords: RGD peptide; dendrimer-entrapped gold nanoparticles; gene silencing; siRNA.