THE EFFICIENT EXPRESSION OF INTRAVASCULARLY DELIVERED DNA IN RAT MUSCLE

Previous studies have demonstrated that muscle can take up and express naked DNA or RNA. This study demonstrates that the pDNA can be delive red to and expressed within skeletal muscle when injected rapidly, in a large volume and when all blood vessels leading into and out of the hindlimb are occluded. The additional use of collagenase, papaverine a nd ischemia raised expression moderately but was not critical. These r esults demonstrate that a nonviral method can lead to high levels of e xpression in the muscles of adult animals larger than mice.