For example,

nucleic acids delivered by atelocollagen are protected against degradation by host nucleases [8, 14, 24], and it has also been shown to improve the delivery efficiency of oligonucleotides to tumors [15, 16]. However, the biological functions of atelocollagen and the mechanism by which it enhances delivery efficiency are still not fully understood. It is essential to reveal the biological characteristics of atelocollagen in order to be able to fully exploit its drug delivery potential. While we were studying the basic properties of atelocollagen, we discovered another of its functions: it increases endothelial permeability. Here, we Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical describe the results of a study of the effects of atelocollagen on intercellular Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical sealing function. We measured transendothelial electrical

residence (TER) in order to estimate intercellular barrier function and performed an immunohistochemical examination to see whether any cellular morphological changes were induced. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Atelocollagen, Oligonucleotides, and Formulations Atelocollagen was supplied in aqueous form by Koken (Tokyo, Japan). Rhodamine red-conjugated atelocollagen was prepared in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical (FluoReporter Rhodamine Red-X Protein Labeling Kit; Life technologies Japan, Tokyo, Japan). The oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) and double stranded RNA (dsRNA) were synthesized by Eurogentec (Seraing, Belgium). The sequences of the oligonucleotides are listed in Table 1 [20, 25, 26]. Table 1 Effects of formulation composition on relative Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical TER (%). Each atelocollagen-oligonucleotide

formulation (AC formulation) was prepared by gently mixing aqueous atelocollagen with a solution containing a defined Mdm2 inhibitor nmr concentration of oligonucleotides. The final oligonucleotide concentration was usually 5μM and that of atelocollagen was 0.1%w/v unless otherwise stated in the text, tables, and/or figures. 2.2. Transendothelial Electrical Resistance (TER) Measurement Normal human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC) Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical were purchased from EIDIA (Tokyo, Japan). These cells were cultured in EGM (Endothelial Growth Media; EIDIA, Tokyo, Japan) until they reached confluence on 12mm transwell Rolziracetam filters with a 0.4μm pore size (Corning Glass Works; Corning Japan, Tokyo, Japan) coated with rat tail collagen. Porcine brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVEC) were purified and maintained according to the method described in a previous study [27]. TER was determined using an EVOM voltohmmeter and an ENDOHM-12 chamber (World Precision Instruments, Sarasota, FL) at 37°C [28]. Cell growth was monitored by measuring TER. Once stable intercellular seals had formed; that is, at confluence, the medium in the inner chamber was exchanged for 400 microliters of culture medium containing 30%v/v of AC formulation. TER was subsequently measured in duplicate every 30min. 2.3.