Antifibrotic effects of specific siRNA targeting connective tissue growth factor delivered by polyethyleneimine-functionalized magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles on LX-2 cells

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a possible key determinant of progressive fibrosis. Nanotechnology has been considered as a potential tool for developing novel drug delivery systems for various diseases, including liver fibrosis. The present study aimed to investigate the potential antifibrotic activity of CTGF small interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated by polyethyleneimine (PEI)-functionalized magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) in LX-2 cells. PEI-Fe3O4/siRNA complexes were synthesized to facilitate siRNA delivery and were transfected into LX-2 cells. Laser confocal microscopy was employed to investigate the cell uptake of PEI-Fe3O4/siRNA complexes. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting were used to verify the effect of gene silencing. The results showed that siRNA-loaded PEI-Fe3O4 exhibited low cytotoxicity. The transfection efficiency of PEI-Fe3O4/siRNA reached 73.8%, and RT-qPCR and western blotting demonstrated effective gene silencing. These results indicated that CTGF siRNA delivered by PEI-Fe3O4 NPs significantly reduces CTGF expression and collagen production in activated LX-2 cells, providing a basis for future in vivo studies.