Abstract: The innate immune system of eukaryotes is able to recognise foreign genetic material by means of Toll-like receptors and to initiate signal transduction cascades that trigger an antiviral state of cell populations by way of an interferon response. That antiviral state is also a barrier for non-viral gene delivery systems. If the signal transduction cascade is interrupted intracellularly or intercellularly, transfection efficiencies of non-viral gene delivery systems can be increased and undesirable changes in the expression profile can be avoided. Since RNA-interference is to be attributed to the antiviral state, the RNAi machinery is likewise activated after activation of the innate immune system. In that way, knock-down efficiencies on transfection with siRNA can be increased.

Abstract: The present invention relates to new lipopolyamines (including salts thereof) characterised by a symmetrical, highly flexible lipophilic moiety having buffering capacity at physiological pH, and to the use thereof for the in vivo or in vitro introduction of biologically active materials, such as, for example, DNA, RNA, ribozymes, antisense DNA, PNA, peptides and proteins, into eukaryotic cells.