Polyethylenimine is a class of cationic polymers effective in gene delivery. Polyethylenimine is nondegradable and its molecular weight affects cell toxicity/cytotoxicity and gene transfer activity. Polyethylenimine is used as a low-toxic and efficient gene carrier.

Physicochemical Properties

Molecular Formula	C2H5N
Molecular Weight	43.0678
Exact Mass	43.042
CAS #	9002-98-6
Related CAS #	27233-25-6;9002-98-6
PubChem CID	9033
Appearance	Colorless to light yellow liquid
Density	1.030 g/mL at 25 °C
Boiling Point	250 °C(lit.)
Melting Point	59-60°C
Flash Point	>230 °F
Index of Refraction	n20/D 1.5290
LogP	-0.4
Hydrogen Bond Donor Count	1
Hydrogen Bond Acceptor Count	1
Rotatable Bond Count	0
Heavy Atom Count	3
Complexity	10.3
Defined Atom Stereocenter Count	0
SMILES	N1([H])C([H])([H])C1([H])[H]
InChi Key	NOWKCMXCCJGMRR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
InChi Code	InChI=1S/C2H5N/c1-2-3-1/h3H,1-2H2
Chemical Name	aziridine
HS Tariff Code	2934.99.9001
Storage	Powder-20°C 3 years 4°C 2 years In solvent -80°C 6 months -20°C 1 month Note: This product requires protection from light (avoid light exposure) during transportation and storage.
Shipping Condition	Room temperature (This product is stable at ambient temperature for a few days during ordinary shipping and time spent in Customs)

Biological Activity

ADME/Pharmacokinetics	Absorption, Distribution and Excretion Goups of 5-6 male Dow-Wistar rats were injected intraperitoneally with 0.3-0.42 mg/kg 14-C-aziridine (ethyleneimine) and were sacrificed after 24 and 96 hours. In both cases, ca. 50% of the administered dose was excreted in the urine; small amounts were present in the feces and expired air (3-5%). A small amount of the test substance itself was detected in urine, the major part of the radioactivity was due to unknown metabolites. Radioactivity was distributed throughout the rats, with a slight accumulation in liver, intestine, caecum, spleen, and kidneys. ... /It/ penetrates animal skin so rapidly that its percutaneous toxicity is not decreased if it is washed off 1 min after contact. Metabolism / Metabolites When (14)C-ethyleneimine (0.30-0.42 mg/kg body weight) was injected ip into rats, approx one-half of the (14)C was excreted into the urine and 2-6% in feces after 96 hr. Only a small amount of urinary (14)C was ethyleneimine; the major portion of the urinary (14)C was found in a number of unidentified products. Three to 5% of the (14)C was expired as CO2, and 1-3% was expired as ethyleneimine. Biological Half-Life No reports found; [TDR, p. 688]
References	[1]. A versatile vector for gene and oligonucleotide transfer into cells in culture and in vivo: polyethylenimine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995;92(16):7297-301.
Additional Infomation	Ethyleneimine can cause cancer according to an independent committee of scientific and health experts. Ethyleneimine, stabilized appears as a clear colorless liquid with an ammonia-like odor. Flash point 12 °F. Less dense than water. Flammable over a wide range of vapor-air concentrations. Vapors irritate the skin, eyes, nose, and throat. May be toxic by prolonged inhalation, skin absorption, or ingestion. Carcinogenic. Vapors heavier than air. May polymerize exothermically if heated or contaminated. If the polymerization takes place inside a container, the container may rupture violently. Aziridine is a saturated organic heteromonocyclic parent, a member of aziridines and an azacycloalkane. It has a role as an alkylating agent. It is a conjugate base of an aziridinium. Ethyleneimine has many uses, including in polymerization products and in adhesives and binders. Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure to ethyleneimine causes severe respiratory tract irritation and inflammation in humans, but symptoms may be delayed for several hours. Some symptoms of acute inhalation exposure in humans include tearing and burning of the eyes, sore throat, nasal secretion, bronchitis, shortness of breath, and edema of the lungs. Ethyleneimine is a severe blistering agent, causing third degree chemical burns of the skin. It is also corrosive to eye tissue and may cause permanent corneal opacity and conjunctival scarring. At low levels, chronic (long-term) inhalation exposure has been reported to result in effects on the blood in humans. EPA has not classified ethyleneimine for carcinogenicity. Ethyleneimine is a monofunctional alkylating agent with potential antineoplastic activity. Reacting with DNA mainly at guanine and adenine residues, ethylenimine alkylates DNA, thereby producing DNA interstrand crosslinks and DNA breaks, and interfering with DNA replication and cell division. (NCI04) See also: Polyethyleneimine (annotation moved to); Aziridine, homopolymer, ethoxylated (annotation moved to) ... View More ... Mechanism of Action The ethylenimines are classic alkylating agents with biologic effects similar to the beta-chloroethylamines. /Ethylenimines/ Ethyleneimine reacted with guanosine in aqueous medium to yield two identified products: imidazole-ring-opened 7-alkylguanosine (80%) and intact 1-alkylguanosine (14%). Incubation of ethyleneimine with guanosine or deoxyguanosine at pH 6.0 (1 hr, 37 °C) yielded some intact 7-alkylated products. Half-life of imidazole ring opening of 7-alkylguanosine was 11, 5, and 2.8 min at pH 7.0, 7.7, and was 21 min at pH 7.7. ... Examples of direct-acting mutagens include alkylating agents such as ... ethyleneimine ... Direct-acting carcinogens are typically carcinogenic at multiple sites and in all species examined ...

Solubility Data

Solubility (In Vitro)

DMSO : ~50 mg/mL

Solubility (In Vivo)

Note: Listed below are some common formulations that may be used to formulate products with low water solubility (e.g. < 1 mg/mL), you may test these formulations using a minute amount of products to avoid loss of samples. Injection Formulations (e.g. IP/IV/IM/SC) Injection Formulation 1: DMSO : Tween 80： Saline = 10 : 5 : 85 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO stock solution → 50 μL Tween 80 → 850 μL Saline) *Preparation of saline: Dissolve 0.9 g of sodium chloride in 100 mL ddH ₂ O to obtain a clear solution. Injection Formulation 2: DMSO : PEG300 ：Tween 80 : Saline = 10 : 40 : 5 : 45 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 400 μLPEG300 → 50 μL Tween 80 → 450 μL Saline) Injection Formulation 3: DMSO : Corn oil = 10 : 90 (i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 900 μL Corn oil) Example: Take the Injection Formulation 3 (DMSO : Corn oil = 10 : 90) as an example, if 1 mL of 2.5 mg/mL working solution is to be prepared, you can take 100 μL 25 mg/mL DMSO stock solution and add to 900 μL corn oil, mix well to obtain a clear or suspension solution (2.5 mg/mL, ready for use in animals). Injection Formulation 4: DMSO : 20% SBE-β-CD in saline = 10 : 90 [i.e. 100 μL DMSO → 900 μL (20% SBE-β-CD in saline)] *Preparation of 20% SBE-β-CD in Saline (4°C，1 week): Dissolve 2 g SBE-β-CD in 10 mL saline to obtain a clear solution. Injection Formulation 5: 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin : Saline = 50 : 50 (i.e. 500 μL 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin → 500 μL Saline) Injection Formulation 6: DMSO : PEG300 : castor oil : Saline = 5 : 10 : 20 : 65 (i.e. 50 μL DMSO → 100 μLPEG300 → 200 μL castor oil → 650 μL Saline) Injection Formulation 7: Ethanol : Cremophor : Saline = 10： 10 : 80 (i.e. 100 μL Ethanol → 100 μL Cremophor → 800 μL Saline) Injection Formulation 8: Dissolve in Cremophor/Ethanol (50 : 50), then diluted by Saline Injection Formulation 9: EtOH : Corn oil = 10 : 90 (i.e. 100 μL EtOH → 900 μL Corn oil) Injection Formulation 10: EtOH : PEG300：Tween 80 : Saline = 10 : 40 : 5 : 45 (i.e. 100 μL EtOH → 400 μLPEG300 → 50 μL Tween 80 → 450 μL Saline) Oral Formulations Oral Formulation 1: Suspend in 0.5% CMC Na (carboxymethylcellulose sodium) Oral Formulation 2: Suspend in 0.5% Carboxymethyl cellulose Example: Take the Oral Formulation 1 (Suspend in 0.5% CMC Na) as an example, if 100 mL of 2.5 mg/mL working solution is to be prepared, you can first prepare 0.5% CMC Na solution by measuring 0.5 g CMC Na and dissolve it in 100 mL ddH2O to obtain a clear solution; then add 250 mg of the product to 100 mL 0.5% CMC Na solution, to make the suspension solution (2.5 mg/mL, ready for use in animals). Oral Formulation 3: Dissolved in PEG400 Oral Formulation 4: Suspend in 0.2% Carboxymethyl cellulose Oral Formulation 5: Dissolve in 0.25% Tween 80 and 0.5% Carboxymethyl cellulose Oral Formulation 6: Mixing with food powders Note: Please be aware that the above formulations are for reference only. InvivoChem strongly recommends customers to read literature methods/protocols carefully before determining which formulation you should use for in vivo studies, as different compounds have different solubility properties and have to be formulated differently.  (Please use freshly prepared in vivo formulations for optimal results.)

Preparing Stock Solutions		1 mg	5 mg	10 mg
	1 mM	23.2180 mL	116.0901 mL	232.1802 mL
	5 mM	4.6436 mL	23.2180 mL	46.4360 mL
	10 mM	2.3218 mL	11.6090 mL	23.2180 mL

*Note: Please select an appropriate solvent for the preparation of stock solution based on your experiment needs. For most products, DMSO can be used for preparing stock solutions (e.g. 5 mM, 10 mM, or 20 mM concentration); some products with high aqueous solubility may be dissolved in water directly. Solubility information is available at the above Solubility Data section. Once the stock solution is prepared, aliquot it to routine usage volumes and store at -20°C or -80°C. Avoid repeated freeze and thaw cycles.