Comparative study of transfection efficiency of cationic cholesterols mediated by liposomes-based gene delivery

To develop the efficient non-viral vector for gene delivery, we compared transfection activities of cationic cholesterol derivatives. We found that the stability of the liposome–DNA complex in the presence of endosome deeply related to the transfection efficiency. We also found that the introduction of a hydrophilic group to the amino terminal of the cholesterol derivative decreased stability and facilitated the release of DNA from the endosome, resulting in higher transfection efficiency.