Polybrene (hexadimethrine bromide)

Polybrene (hexadimethrine bromide), also known as Polybrene, is a cationic polymer commonly used in DNA transfection experiments with mammalian cells to enhance the transfection efficiency of liposomes. It is widely employed in retrovirus-mediated gene transfection and lentivirus-mediated gene transfection. The mechanism of action may involve neutralizing the sialic acid on the cell surface, facilitating adsorption by overcoming electrostatic repulsion with virus particles. Polybrene is also recognized as an anticoagulant (heparin antagonist) and is frequently used in the production of non-specifically aggregated red blood cells. Additionally, in protein sequencing, low doses of Polybrene have been shown to significantly improve the degradation of peptides in automated sequencing analysis. The addition of Polybrene to PVDF membranes can also enhance membrane affinity.