Improved gene transfer by direct plasmid injection associated with regeneration in mouse skeletal muscle.

Gene transfer into skeletal muscle via simple plasmid injection in vivo has many potential uses but these are severely constrained by the low efficiency of this technique. Muscle regeneration, induced by the myotoxic local anaesthetic bupivacaine, significantly increased gene expression following plasmid injection 3-7 days after bupivacaine treatment. Much of this effect can be attributed to uptake and expression of the plasmid by a greater number of muscle fibres, up to 9% of the mouse tibialis anterior muscle. A similar significant increase in expression was observed in the naturally regenerating muscle of the dystrophic mdx mouse when compared to the control C57Bl/10 strain.