Electro-transfer of small interfering RNA ameliorated arthritis in rats

RNA interference provides the powerful means of sequence-specific gene silencing. Particularly, small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes may be potentially useful for therapeutic molecular targeting of human diseases, although novel delivery systems should be devised to achieve efficient and organ-specific transduction of siRNA. In the present study, we demonstrated that electro-transfer of a siRNA–polyamine complex made efficient and specific gene knockdown possible in the articular synovium. Targeted suppression of the tumor necrosis factor-α gene through this procedure significantly ameliorated collagen-induced arthritis in rats. Our results suggest the potential feasibility of therapeutic intervention with RNA medicines for treatment of rheumatoid and other locomotor diseases.