Revisiting of Properties and Modified Polyethylenimine-Based Cancer Gene Delivery Systems Publisher Pubmed



Mohammadi N^{1, 2} ; Fayazi Hosseini N³ ; Nemati H⁴ ; Moradisardareh H^{5, 6} ; Nabiafjadi M⁷ ; Kardar GA^{1, 2}
Source: Biochemical Genetics Published:2024

Abstract

A new era of medical technology in cancer treatment is a directly specific modification of gene expression in tumor cells by nucleic acid delivery. Currently, the main challenge to achieving this goal is to find a non-toxic, safe, and effective strategy for gene transfer to cancer cells. Synthetic composites based on cationic polymers have historically been favored in bioengineering due to their ability to mimic bimolecular structures. Among them, polyethylenimines (PEIs) with superior properties such as a wide range of molecular weight and a flexible structure may propel the development of functional combinations in the biomedical and biomaterial fields. Here, in this review, we will focus on the recent progressions in the formulation optimization of PEI-based polyplex in gene delivery to treat cancer. Also, the effect of PEI's intrinsic characteristics such as structure, molecular weight, and positive charges which influence the gene delivery efficiency will be discussed. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023.