CATIONIC BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN NANOPARTICLES FOR DELIVERY OF SIRNA TO FIBROBLASTS

Gene regulation through small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a useful way to improve therapeutics and treat diseases. However, since siRNA is rapidly degraded by nucleases in the bloodstream and is anionic and highly hydrophilic, it is not readily taken up by cells. Therefore, a variety of delivery systems that encapsulate siRNA are being developed to overcome these limitations. Protein nanoparticles have the potential to effectively deliver siRNA because siRNA can be encapsulated during the fabrication process. In this work, we have encapsulated siRNA inside 200 nm cationic bovine serum albumin (cBSA) nanoparticles. The positive charge on the cBSA protein enables the negative charge of the siRNA to electrostatically attract, creating a more stable nanoparticle. We measured nanoparticle uptake and intracellular delivery to GFP-3T3 cells using a combination of flow cytometry and fluorescence knockdown assays. cBSA protein nanoparticles are an innovative way to encapsulate siRNA, with the ability to adjust the amount of siRNA in the nanoparticle as needed and stable attraction of siRNA and cBSA protein.Undergraduat