1 research outputs found
Efficient delivery of DNA into bovine preimplantation embryos by multiwall carbon nanotubes.
The pellucid zone (PZ) is a protective embryonic cells barrier against chemical, physical or biological
substances. This put, usual transfection methods are not efficient for mammal oocytes and embryos
as they are exclusively for somatic cells. Carbon nanotubes have emerged as a new method for gene
delivery, and they can be an alternative for embryos transfection, however its ability to cross the PZ and
mediated gene transfer is unknown. Our data confirm that multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) can
cross the PZ and delivery of pDNA into in vitro-fertilized bovine embryos. The degeneration rate and the
expression of genes associated to cell viability were not affected in embryos exposed to MWNTs. Those
embryos, however, had lower cell number and higher apoptotic cell index, but this did not impair the
embryonic development. This study shows the potential utility of the MWNT for the development of
new method for delivery of DNA into bovine embryos