PEGylated reduced graphene oxide as a superior ssRNA delivery system

Abstract

Single stranded ribonucleic acid (ssRNA) acts as a probe, antisense (AS), miRNA analog and inhibitor, and is promising for gene therapy and molecular diagnosis. However, free ssRNA exhibits poor cellular uptake due to its negative charges, and enzyme instability, which have largely limited the practical applications of ssRNA in biomedicine. To address these issues, we have developed a PEGylated reduced graphene oxide (PEG–RGO) nanovector for efficient delivery of ssRNA. We have demonstrated that PEG–RGO exhibits superior ssRNA loading and delivery capability, compared to the widely studied PEGylated graphene oxide (PEG–GO). Computational simulation further suggested that PEG–RGO binds ssRNA much stronger than PEG–GO, consistent with the experimental results. These results will have implications in designing RGO-based biocompatible and efficient ssRNA delivery systems.