We recommend Lipofectamine 3000 for delivery of vector-based RNAi but for direct transfection of synthetic siRNA, we recommend using Lipofectamine RNAiMAX. For in vivo siRNA experiments, we recommend Invivofectamine 3.0 Reagent.
Can I use Lipofectamine LTX for transfection of suspension cells, other hard-to-transfect cells, and primary cells?
We recommend using Lipofectamine 3000 which demonstrates much higher transfection efficiency and protein expression over all other transfection reagents for suspension, hard-to-transfect, and primary cells. Review Lipofectamine 3000 data for over 60 cell lines here https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/brands/product-brand/lipofectamine/lipofectamine-3000.html. For highest transfection efficiencies, we recommend the Neon Transfection System for Jurkat (94%) and K562 (90%) cells.
Can I use Lipofectamine LTX for transfecting plasmid DNA into primary cells?
We have tested four primary cell lines: HuVEC (human ubilical vein endothelial cells), NHFF (normal human foreskin fibroblast), MJ90, and NDHF with transfection efficiencies between 5-25%. Instead, we recommend using Lipofectamine 3000 which shows highest transfection efficiency for all cell types and optimize by varying the DNA and lipid ratio. Alternatively, the Neon Transfection System shows 75-80% transfection efficiency. Please visit our Neon cell specific protocol database for more information: https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/cell-culture/transfection/transfection---selection-misc/neon-transfection-system/neon-protocols-cell-line-data.html?icid=fr-neon-3