Inorganic Nanoparticles as Carriers of Nucleic Acids into Cells

Abstract

The transfer of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) into living cells, that is, transfection, is a major technique in current biochemistry and molecular biology. This process permits the selective introduction of genetic material for protein synthesis as well as the selective inhibition of protein synthesis (antisense or gene silencing). As nucleic acids alone are not able to penetrate the cell wall, efficient carriers are needed. Besides viral, polymeric, and liposomal agents, inorganic nanoparticles are especially suitable for this purpose because they can be prepared and surface-functionalized in many different ways. Herein, the current state of the art is discussed from a chemical viewpoint. Advantages and disadvantages of the available methods are compared.

Vertical silicon nanowires as a universal platform for delivering biomolecules into living cells

“…The results presented here establish vertical Si NW arrays as a robust, monolithic platform for introducing various bioactive molecules into a broad range of cell types in highthroughput. This delivery method is highly efficient, even with primary cells that are notoriously difficult to transfect or transduce using conventional methods (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Additionally, this platform requires neither viral packaging nor chemical modification of the molecules to be delivered, thus significantly reducing the efforts required for typical bioassays.…”

“…intracellular delivery | microarray | high-throughput bioassay | nanobiotechnology A t the heart of all investigations into cellular function lies the need to induce specific and controlled perturbations to cells. An assortment of tools is now available to accomplish this in a rational and directed fashion by delivering various biological effectors (small molecules, DNAs, RNAs, peptides, and proteins) (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). These options, however, are often limited to either particular molecules or certain cell types due to the lack of a general strategy for transporting polar or charged molecules across the plasma membrane.…”

“…Building on the previous observation that vertically grown NWs can support cell culture (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), we show that vertical NW substrates can serve as a universal, scalable, and highly efficient modality for introducing DNAs, RNAs, peptides, proteins, and small molecules into both immortalized and primary cell types, without chemical modification or viral packaging. This simplicity and generality, which stem from the direct physical access to the cell's interior afforded by NW penetration (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), make NW-based delivery distinct from chemical and viral methods that are widely employed (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). Furthermore, this NW-based system is fully compatible with standard microarray printing techniques, allowing large collections of biomolecules to be delivered, or even codelivered, into live cells in a parallel and miniaturized fashion.…”

Nanodiagnostic Tools in Plant Breeding

“…Nanoparticles are used to transfer DNA and drugs into animal cell and tissues by the process of endocytosis [7], but the use of nanoparticles for DNA delivery in plants was not possible because the plant cell possess an inflexible cell wall. The nanoparticles which can be used for DNA delivery are zinc, starch, calcium phosphate, carbon materials, silica, gold, magnetite, strontium phosphate, magnesium phosphate and manganese phosphate [8]. ZnS nanoparticles are considered as a desirable gene transporter to deliver DNA into intact plant by using ultrasound-mediated technique [9].…”

Hidróxidos duplos lamelares: nanopartículas inorgânicas para armazenamento e liberação de espécies de interesse biológico e terapêutico

“…Particularmente, merece destaque o número de trabalhos que tratam da utilização de nanopartículas como cápsulas de armazenamento ou carregadores de espécies de interesse biológico e terapêutico. [1][2][3] Diversos sistemas para liberação controlada de drogas têm sido engendrados e descritos, com suas vantagens e desvantagens comparadas, podendo ser classificados em quatro grupos principais: carregadores virais, compostos catiônicos orgânicos, proteínas recombinantes e nanopartículas inorgânicas. Exemplos recentes incluem: pontos quânticos (quantum dots) ou nanocompósitos magnético-fluorescentes; 4,5 géis poliméricos; 6,7 nanotubos de carbono ou sílica funcionalizados; 8 cápsulas multilamelares de polieletrólitos; 9 nanopartículas de ouro 10,11 e hidróxidos duplos lamelares (HDL).…”