The Polymer Society of Korea

정원선 (충남대학교)

최준식 (충남대학교)

Messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics are a promising gene therapy platform because they enable transient protein expression without genomic integration. In this study, kanamycin–polyethylenimine conjugates (KANPEIs) were evaluated as non-viral polymeric carriers for mRNA delivery. KANPEIs were synthesized by conjugating low-molecular-weight polyethylenimine (1.2 or 2 kDa) to a kanamycin core and exhibited strong proton-buffering capacities comparable to PEI 25 kDa.

Confocal microscopy confirmed efficient cellular uptake and sustained intracellular retention of KANPEI/mRNA polyplexes in NIH3T3 cells. Among the derivatives, KANPEI 1.2 kDa showed enhanced transfection efficiency, attributed to its proton-buffering capacity that promotes endosomal escape and cytosolic mRNA release. Cytotoxicity assays further demonstrated that KANPEIs displayed significantly reduced toxicity compared with PEI 25 kDa while maintaining high cell viability.