Redox-responsive polymeric nanogels as efficient mRNA delivery vehicles in Caenorhabditis elegans
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Efficient delivery of sensitive nucleic acid payloads, including mRNA, in Caenorhabditis elegans remains challenging, especially with traditional, labor-intensive transgenesis methods. We addressed these challenges using polymeric nanogels (NGs) as an advanced platform for mRNA delivery in C. elegans. These polymeric delivery vehicles can be engineered to suit desired applications owing to their chemical versatility, resulting from the ability to conjugate multiple functional groups onto the same backbone. Here, we validate the in vivo RNA delivery potential of redox-responsive NGs. The NGs showed up to 72.4 % RNA encapsulation and 6.61 % loading efficiencies and facilitated the controlled release of the mRNA payloads at intracellular concentrations of the reducing agent glutathione, where most of the RNA was released within 24 hours. As a proof of concept, we successfully delivered green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing mRNA using NGs in C. elegans for the first time. Physicochemical characterization revealed uniform NG size and charge, and fluorescence microscopy confirmed GFP expression in the gut after 24 hours of treatment. Our findings show NGs' potential as an mRNA delivery system in C. elegans.
Date Acceptance
2024-12-06
Citation
microPublication Biology, 2024
ISSN
2578-9430
Publisher
Caltech Library
Journal / Book Title
microPublication Biology
Volume
2024
Copyright Statement
© 2024 by the authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.micropublication.org/journals/biology/micropub-biology-001428
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
001428
Date Publish Online
2024-12-10