The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characterization of a new cationic vector. Low generation polypropylenimine (DAB-8) was conjugated to β-cyclodextrin (β-CyD), and the chemical characters of the vector were investigated and confirmed by ¹H NMR, FT-IR, TGA, TEM, particle size, and zeta potential assay. The biological property was identified by MTT assay and gene transfer efficiency was performed in cell lines. The results showed that the new vector had low cytotoxicity and high transfection efficiency in vitro. This suggested that β-CyD-DAB-8 has a potential ability to act as a non-viral vector in gene delivery.

Key words: Low generation polypropylenimine (DAB-8); β-cyclodextrin (β-CyD); in vitro; Gene delivery; and Non-viral vector.