Electrotransfer of siRNA to silence enhanced green fluorescent protein in tumor mediated by a high intensity pulsed electromagnetic field

Kranjc Brezar, Simona (author), Kranjc, Matej (author), Čemažar, Maja (author), Buček, Simon (author), Serša, Gregor (author), Miklavčič, Damijan (author)

The contactless high intensity pulsed electromagnetic field (HI-PEMF)-induced increase of cell membrane permeability is similar to conventional electroporation, with the important difference of inducing an electric field non-invasively by exposing a treated tissue to a time-varying magnetic field. Due to the limited number of studies in the field of electroporation induced by HI-PEMF, we designed experiments to explore the feasibility of such a contactless delivery technique for the gene electrotransfer of nucleic acids in tissues in vivo. By using HI-PEMF for gene electrotransfer, we silenced enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) with siRNA molecules against EGFP in B16F10-EGFP tumors. Six days after the transfer, the fluorescent tumor area decreased by up to 39% as determined by fluorescence imaging in vivo. In addition, the silencing of EGFP to the same extent was confirmed at the mRNA and protein level. The results obtained in the in vivo mouse model demonstrate the potential use of HI-PEMF-induced cell permeabilization for gene therapy and DNA vaccination. Further studies are thus warranted to improve the equipment, optimize the protocols for gene transfer and the HI-PEMF parameters, and demonstrate the effects of HI-PEMF on a broader range of different normal and tumor tissues.

• Language: English
• Keywords: pulsed electromagnetic field, siRNA, tumor, electroporation, gene therapy, high intensity pulsed electromagnetic field, electrotransfer, enhanced green fluorescent protein, mouse melanoma model
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering; ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 1, art. 49
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-133258
• UDC: 602.621:616-006
• ISSN on article: 2076-393X
• DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8010049
• COBISS.SI-ID: 12843348
• Publication date in RUL: 18.11.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Vaccines
• Shortened title: Vaccines
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-393X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 520262937

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.03.2020

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: pulzno elektromagnetno polje, siRNA, tumorji, elektroporacija, genska terapija