Boron nitride nanotubes for gene silencing

Background Non-viral gene delivery is increasingly investigated as an alternative to viral vectors due to low toxicity and immunogenicity, easy preparation, tissue specificity, and ability to transfer larger sizes of genes. Methods In this study, boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are functionalized with oligonucleotides (oligo-BNNTs). The morpholinos complementary to the oligonucleotides attached to the BNNTs (morpholino/oligo-BNNTs) are hybridized to silence the luciferase gene. The morpholino/oligo-BNNTs conjugates are administered to luciferase-expressing cells (MDA-MB-231-luc2) and the luciferase activity is monitored. Results The luciferase activity is decreased when MDA-MB-231-luc2 cells were treated with morpholino/oligo-BNNTs. Conclusions The study suggests that BNNTs can be used as a potential vector to transfect cells. General significance BNNTs are potential new nanocarriers for gene delivery applications.