Dexamethasone‐Conjugated Polyamidoamine Dendrimer for Delivery of the Heme Oxygenase‐1 Gene into the Ischemic Brain

Heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) has anti‐apoptotic and anti‐inflammatory effects. In this study, the HO‐1 gene was delivered into the brain using dexamethasone‐conjugated polyamidoamine generation 2 (PAMAM G2‐Dexa) for the treatment of ischemic stroke. PAMAM G2‐Dexa formed stable complexes with plasmid DNA (pDNA). The pDNA delivery efficiency of PAMAM G2‐Dexa was higher than that of polyethylenimine (PEI25k, 25 kDa), dexamethasone‐conjugated PEI (PEI‐Dexa), and PAMAM G2 in Neuro2A cells. Therapeutic effect of PAMAM G2‐Dexa/pHO‐1 complexes was evaluated in a stroke animal model. PAMAM G2‐Dexa delivered pHO‐1 more efficiently into the ischemic brain than PEI25k and PEI‐Dexa with higher therapeutic effect. Therefore, PAMAM G2‐Dexa/pHO‐1 complexes may be useful for ischemic stroke gene therapy.