Polymeric nanoparticles as cancer-specific DNA delivery vectors to human hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most deadly cancer in the US, with a meager 5-year survival rate of co -3-amino-1-propanol) (‘536’) at a 25 polymer-to-DNA weight-to-weight ratio led to high transfection efficacy to all of the liver cancer lines, but not to hepatocytes. Each individual HCC line had a significantly higher percentage of exogenous gene expression than the healthy liver cells ( P in vitro , confirmed effective DNA transfection in vivo . PBAE-based NPs enabled high and preferential DNA delivery to HCC cells, sparing healthy hepatocytes. These biodegradable and liver cancer-selective NPs are a promising technology to deliver therapeutic genes to liver cancer.