Dujardin, N
Van Deŕ Smissen, P
Préat, Véronique
[UCL]
PURPOSE: To investigate whether electroporation can be used for topical gene delivery and for DNA expression in rat keratinocytes. METHODS: The localization of a fluorescent-labelled plasmid and the expression of a reporter gene (pEGFP-N1) coding for Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in stripped skin were assessed by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM). RESULTS: The plasmid penetrated into the epidermis within minutes after electroporation and entered the keratinocyte cytoplasm within hours. A localized expression of GFP was observed for at least 7 days in the epidermis. Skin viability was not compromised by electroporation. CONCLUSIONS: Electroporation enhances the delivery, and hence the expression, of topically applied plasmid DNA on the skin. It could be a promising alternative method to administer DNA, particularly for DNA vaccines, in the skin in vivo.
Bibliographic reference |
Dujardin, N ; Van Deŕ Smissen, P ; Préat, Véronique. Topical gene transfer into rat skin using electroporation.. In: Pharmaceutical research, Vol. 18, no. 1, p. 61-6 (2001) |
Permanent URL |
http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/8827 |