Lipoplexes and Polyplexes for Targeted Gene Delivery

Abstract

Targeted gene delivery is a scientific approach with numerous advantages in the fields of bio- and personalized medicine. The delivery of genes and generally nucleic acids (i.e., DNA, RNA, etc.) into cellular and subcellular organelles for the treatment of several diseases seems to be the future in the design and development of medicines with limited adverse drug reactions and a high ratio of effectiveness and efficacy. The increased impact of the targeted gene delivery is in line with the increased usage of the nanosystems and their applications in the development of gene delivery systems. Lipoplexes and polyplexes are the most important nanosystems that are used for targeted gene delivery. They are composed of lipids (cationic and helper lipids) and polymers (cationic and/or stimuli-responsive polymers), respectively. These cationic materials can self-assemble into complexes in the presence of nucleic acids, which are negatively charged. They are also characterized as nonviral (synthetic) carriers of nucleic acids. This chapter aims to present the technology and the applications of lipoplexes and polyplexes in the field of targeted gene delivery. Special attention will be given to the mechanisms by that lipoplexes and polyplexes are utilized for the delivery and release of the complexed nucleic acids.