【Animal Modeling】-Comparison of Transfection Efficiency of Adenovirus Vectors by Tail Vein Injection and Myocardial Injection in Mice

  OBJECTIVE: To compare the transfection efficiency of target genes in heart tissue and liver tissue after adenovirus vector was injected into mouse tail vein or myocardium.

  Methods: An adenovirus vector (GFP-Ad) expressing green fluorescent protein GFP was constructed. Twenty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into tail vein injection adenovirus vector group and myocardial adenovirus vector injection group, 10 mice each. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of GFP in myocardial tissue and liver tissue of mice at different time points. And the GFP fluorescence expression was observed by fluorescence microscope.

  RESULTS: The expression level of GFP mRNA in the heart tissue of the adenovirus vector group was significantly higher than that of the tail vein injection adenovirus vector group, and the fluorescence intensity in the heart tissue of the myocardial injection adenovirus vector group was significantly enhanced. At the same time, we found that the mRNA expression level and fluorescence intensity of GFP in the liver tissue of the two groups were significantly higher than those in the heart tissue; and in the adenovirus vector group injected into the tail vein, the mRNA expression level and fluorescence intensity of GFP in the liver tissue were significantly higher at 7 days. The peak was reached at 3 d in the adenovirus vector group injected into the myocardium.

  Conclusion: To improve the transfection efficiency of target genes in cardiac tissue, the method of myocardial injection of adenoviral vector should be used; for the transfection efficiency of liver tissue, both injection methods are acceptable. In view of the small trauma of tail vein injection of adenoviral vector, it is appropriate to use adenoviral vector injection.