Gonadotropin-releasing hormone-modified chitosan as a safe and efficient gene delivery vector for spermatogonia cells.

Abstract

The use of male gonadal tissue as a site for the local delivery of DNA is an interesting concept. Previously, we reported synthesis, physiochemical and biological properties of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-conjugated chitosan as a carrier for DNA delivery to GnRH receptor-overexpressing cells. In this study, the application of modified chitosan as a potential vector for gene delivery to testicular cells was carried out. Transfection efficiency was investigated in mouse-derived spermatogonia cells (GC-1 cells) using green fluorescent protein as a reporter gene. GnRH-conjugated chitosan exhibited higher transfection activity and specificity compared to the unmodified chitosan. Furthermore, the GnRH-modified chitosan showed less cytotoxicity. In conclusion, we have developed and successfully tested the GnRH-modified chitosan for delivery of a transgene of interest to spermatogonia cells in vitro. Such vector could be useful in particular for testis-mediated gene transfer.