Eur. Phys. J. E 10, 331-336 (2003)
DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2002-10117-x

Structural characterization of a new lipid/DNA complex showing a selective transfection efficiency in ovarian cancer cells

G. Caracciolo¹, D. Pozzi², R. Caminiti³ and A. Congiu Castellano<sup>1

1</sup>  Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Università "La Sapienza", P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy
²  Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Università "Roma Tre", Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma, Italy
³  Dipartimento di Chimica and INFM, Università "La Sapienza", P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy

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(Received 28 October 2002 / Published online: 15 April 2003)

Abstract
We investigated, for the first time, by using Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction, the structure of a new ternary cationic liposome formulated with dioleoyl trimethylammonium propane (DOTAP), 1,2-dioleoyl-3-phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) and cholesterol (Chol) (DDC) which has been recently found to have a selective high gene transfer ability in ovarian cancer cells. Our structural results provide a further experimental support to the widely accepted statement that there is not a simple and direct correlation between structure and transfection efficiency and that the factors controlling cationic lipid/DNA (CL-DNA) complexes-mediated gene transfer depend not only on the formulations of the cationic liposomes and their thermodynamic phase, but also significantly on the cell properties.

PACS
87.14.Cc - Lipids.
61.10.-i - X-ray diffraction and scattering.

© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2003