Figure 3.

Transport of CK₃₀PEG_10k/DNA NPs in untreated cystic fibrosis (CF) sputum or CF sputum pretreated with mucolytics (recombinant human DNase (rhDNase) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC), individually or in combination). (a) Representative trajectories of gene carriers in untreated and treated CF sputum during 20-second movies. The logarithmic effective diffusivities (D_eff) of individual traces are within one standard deviation of the logarithmic ensemble-averaged D_eff. (b) Ensemble-averaged geometric mean effective diffusivity (<D_eff>) of gene carriers in different CF sputum samples at a time scale (τ) of 1 second. Differences in <D_eff> of gene carriers in untreated sputum versus sputum treated with either NAC or NAC + rhDNase are statistically significant when one outlier sample (light gray cross mark), which showed no adjuvant effect regardless of mucolytic agent used, is excluded from the analysis (**P < 0.01). (c) Distribution of the logarithmic D_eff of individual gene carriers at τ = 1 second. Data represent five independent experiments, with an average of n > 100 gene carriers per experiment.