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Transfection Reagent Selection Guide

Recommended Transfection Reagents in Different Cell Types. The reagents were tested in culture by using plasmid DNA (pDNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), microRNA (miR), antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) or Cas9/sgRNA ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex.

Cell Type All-Fect Prime-Fect Leu-Fect Trans-Booster mRNA-Fect mRNA-Fect ULTRA CRISP-Fect
Primary Cells Human umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSC) pDNA* pDNA* pDNA
mRNA
Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) pDNA [1] pDNA pDNA
mRNA
Porcine vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) pDNA pDNA
mRNA
Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) pDNA
mRNA
Bone marrow mononuclear cells from CML patients siRNA siRNA [2] pDNA
mRNA
Human foreskin fibroblast cells pDNA*
Mouse osteoblasts pDNA
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) pDNA siRNA [3] pDNA
mRNA*		 mRNA mRNA*
Human chondrocytes siRNA*
Rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons pDNA mRNA
Cell Lines Kidney fibroblast cells (293-T) pDNA [4]
saRNA*		 pDNA pDNA
mRNA
Breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) pDNA
siRNA
mRNA [5]		 siRNA pDNA pDNA
mRNA		 mRNA mRNA RNP
Kidney epithelial cells (MDCK) siRNA
Breast cancer/melanoma cells (MDA-MB-436) siRNA [7] siRNA [7]
pDNA, mRNA		 mRNA mRNA
Breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-468) siRNA [6]
Breast cancer cells (Sum-149PT) siRNA [6] pDNA, mRNA
siRNA [6]
Breast cancer cells (MCF-7) pDNA [8]
siRNA [8]		 pDNA
siRNA [6]		 pDNA
mRNA
siRNA [6]		 mRNA mRNA
Lymphoma cells (U-937) pDNA pDNA
Chronic myeloid leukemia cells (K562) siRNA pDNA
mRNA*
miR*		 mRNA mRNA*
Acute myeloid leukemia cells (KG1, KG1A, MV4-11, MOLM-13, THP-1) siRNA siRNA siRNA [9] mRNA* mRNA*
Acute lymphocytic leukemia cells (RS4:11, SUP-B15) siRNA [10] siRNA [3] siRNA [3] mRNA mRNA
Lung cancer cells (A549, Calu-3) pDNA
siRNA [11]		 siRNA [11] mRNA* mRNA*
Colon cancer cells (HCT-116) siRNA siRNA
Myoblast cells (C2C12)
T-cells (Jurkat) pDNA* mRNA* mRNA* RNP*
Embryonic fibroblast cells (3T3) mRNA [12] mRNA [12]
Cervical carcinoma (HeLa) mRNA [12] mRNA [12]
Human hepatic cancer cell line (HepG2)
Preclinical Models Leukemia cells (RS4;11, MV4;11, K562, MOLM-13) siRNA [9],[13] siRNA [9]
Lung cancer cells (A549, Calu-3) mRNA* mRNA*
Breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-436) siRNA [7] siRNA [7]
Biocompatibility mRNA [12] mRNA [12]
siRNA [3],[14]		 mRNA*
Mouse organ biodistribution (heart, bone marrow, spleen, liver, kidney) mRNA [12] siRNA [15] mRNA [12]
siRNA [14],[15]		 mRNA*

pDNA: plasmid DNA  |  siRNA: short interfering RNA  |  mRNA: messenger RNA  |  saRNA: self-amplifying RNA  |  miR: microRNA  |  RNP: Cas9/sgRNA ribonucleoprotein  |  * Data on file

References

  1. Wang Y, et al. Modification of human BMSC with nanoparticles of polymeric biomaterials and plasmid DNA for BMP-2 secretion. J Surgical Research (2013) 183:8–17. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2012.11.061
  2. Valencia-Serna J, et al. siRNA-mediated BCR-ABL silencing in primary chronic myeloid leukemia cells using lipopolymers. J Controlled Release (2019) 310:141–154. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2019.08.018
  3. Nasrullah M, et al. Lipopolymer/siRNA Nanoparticles Targeting STAT5A Disrupts Proliferation of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci (2024). doi: 10.1021/ACSPTSCI.4C00336
  4. Neamnark A, et al. Aliphatic Lipid Substitution on 2 kDa Polyethylenimine Improves Plasmid Delivery and Transgene Expression. Mol Pharm (2009) 6:1798–1815. doi: 10.1021/MP900074D
  5. Thapa B, et al. TRAIL Therapy for Breast Cancer Treatment by Employing Lipopolymer mRNA Delivery. GEN Biotechnology (2022) 1:101–112. doi: 10.1089/GENBIO.2021.0007
  6. Parmar MB, et al. Additive Polyplexes to Undertake siRNA Therapy against CDC20 and Survivin in Breast Cancer Cells. Biomacromolecules (2018) 19:4193–4206. doi: 10.1021/ACS.BIOMAC.8B00918
  7. Santadkha T, et al. Improved delivery of Mcl-1 and survivin siRNA combination in breast cancer cells with additive siRNA complexes. Invest New Drugs (2022) 40:962–976. doi: 10.1007/S10637-022-01282-Y
  8. Thapa B, et al. Breathing New Life into TRAIL for Breast Cancer Therapy: Co-Delivery of pTRAIL and Complementary siRNAs Using Lipopolymers. Hum Gene Ther (2019) 30:1531–1546. doi: 10.1089/HUM.2019.096
  9. Ansari AS, et al. Lipopolymer mediated siRNA delivery targeting aberrant oncogenes for effective therapy of myeloid leukemia in preclinical animal models. J Controlled Release (2024) 367:821–836. doi: 10.1016/J.JCONREL.2024.02.018
  10. Mohseni M, et al. Therapeutic delivery of siRNA with polymeric carriers to down-regulate STAT5A expression in high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. PLoS One (2021) 16. doi: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0251719
  11. KC R, et al. Cationic lipopolymer based siRNA delivery for experimental lung cancer treatment. Biomaterials Advances (2025) 177:214394. doi: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2025.214394
  12. Wang H, et al. Safe and Effective Delivery of mRNA Using Modified PEI-Based Lipopolymers. Pharmaceutics (2023) 15. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020410
  13. Yotsomnuk P, et al. Lipopolymers as the Basis of Non-Viral Delivery of Therapeutic siRNA Nanoparticles in a Leukemia (MOLM-13) Model. Biomolecules (2025) 15. doi: 10.3390/BIOM15010115
  14. Nasrullah M, et al. Suppressing t(4;11) Acute Leukemia by Lipopolymer Nanoparticle Delivery of siRNA Targeting KMT2A::AFF1. Adv Healthc Mater (2025). doi: 10.1002/ADHM.202502019
  15. Morales LC, et al. Biodistribution of Therapeutic Small Interfering RNAs Delivered with Lipid-Substituted Polyethylenimine-Based Delivery Systems. Mol Pharm (2023). doi: 10.1021/ACS.MOLPHARMACEUT.3C01077

Our Product Catalog

RJH manufactures a variety of transfection agents for your R&D needs. Download our catalogue for a list of our products.

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