Abstract
Posttranscriptional gene silencing by RNA interference can be therapeutically exploited to inhibit pathophysiological gene expression. However, in contrast to the established effectiveness of RNAi in vitro, safe and effective delivery of siRNAs to specific organs and cell types in vivo remains the major hurdle. Here, we report the development and in vivo characterization of a novel siRNA delivery system (DACC lipoplex) suitable for modulating target gene expression specifically in the lung vasculature. Systemic administration of DACC in mice delivered siRNA cargo functionally to the lung pulmonary endothelium. A single dose of DACC lipoplexes administered by bolus injection or by infusion was sufficient to specifically silence genes expressed in pulmonary endothelial cells such as CD31, Tie-2, VE-cadherin, or BMP-R2. When tested in a mouse model for lung cancer, repeated treatment with DACC/siRNA(CD31) reduced formation of lung metastases and increased life span in a mouse model of experimental lung metastasis.