Enhancement of Magnetic Nanoparticle-Mediated Gene Transfer to Astrocytes by ‘Magnetofection‘: Effects of Static and Oscillating Fields

Abstract

Aims: To assess the feasibility of using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to transfect astrocytes derived for transplantation and determine if transfection efficacy can be enhanced by static and oscillating magnetic fields. Methods: Astrocytes were transfected using MNPs functionalized with a plasmid encoding a reporter protein. Transfection efficacies were compared following application of static fields and a novel, oscillating array system at a range of frequencies. The transplantation potential of transfected cells was tested in organotypic cerebellar slice cultures. Results: Rat astrocytes can be efficiently transfected using MNPs with applied static/oscillating fields; the latter effect is frequency dependant. Transfected astrocytes could survive and differentiate following introduction into 3D neural tissue arrays. Conclusion: MNP vectors can safely and effectively transfect rodent astrocytes and could form the basis of a ‘multifunctional nanoplatform’ for neural cell transplantation.

Keywords::

• astrocytes
• gene therapy
• magnetic nanoparticles
• magnetofection
• transfection
• transplantation

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by research grants from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (New Investigator Award) and The Royal Society, UK. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all animal experimental investigations.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to D Furness and K Walker for expert assistance with transmission-elctron microscopy. We would also like to thank J Dobson and N Farrow for helpful discussions.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by research grants from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (New Investigator Award) and The Royal Society, UK. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.