Rawlinson, Lee-Anne BettyLee-Anne BettyRawlinsonO'Brien, Peter J.Peter J.O'BrienBrayden, David JamesDavid JamesBrayden2011-07-112011-07-112010 Elsev2010-08Journal of Controlled Release0168-3659http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3009Poly(2-(dimethylamino ethyl)methacrylate) (pDMAEMA) is a cationic polymer with potential as an antimicrobial agent and as a non-viral gene delivery vector. The aim was to further elucidate the cytotoxicity of a selected pDMAEMA low molecular weight (MW) polymer against human U937 monocytes and Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells using a novel multi-parameter high content analysis (HCA) assay and to investigate histological effects on isolated rat intestinal mucosae. Seven parameters of cytotoxicity were measured: nuclear intensity (NI), nuclear area (NA), intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), plasma membrane permeability (PMP), cell number (CN) and phospholipidosis. Histological effects of pDMAEMA on excised rat ileal and colonic mucosae were investigated in Ussing chambers. Following 24-72 hours exposure, 25-50 µg/ml pDMAEMA induced necrosis in U937 cells, while 100-250 µg/ml induced apoptosis in Caco-2. pDMAEMA increased NA and NI and decreased [Ca2+]i, PMP, MMP and CN in U937 cells. In Caco-2, it increased NI and [Ca2+]i, but decreased NA, PMP, MMP and CN. Phospholipidosis was not observed in either cell line. pDMAEMA (10 mg/ml) did not induce any histological damage on rat colonic tissue and only mild damage to ileal tissue following exposure for 60 min. In conclusion, HCA reveals that pDMAEMA induces cytotoxicity in different ways on different cell types at different concentrations. HCA potential for high throughput toxicity screening in drug formulation programmes.802304 bytesapplication/mswordenAll rights reserved.This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Controlled Release. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Controlled Release Volume 146, Issue 1, 17 August 2010, Pages 84-92, DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2010.05.002High content analysisCytotoxicity assayspDMAEMAAntimicrobial polymersCaco-2 intestinal epitheliaPolymers in medicineAnti-infective agentsBiological assayMethacrylates--therapeutic useBiological AssayAnti-Infective AgentsJournal Article1461849210.1016/j.jconrel.2010.05.002https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/1.0/