Biopolymer-Based Composites: Drug Delivery and Biomedical Applications, Elsevier, ss.289-323, 2017
Considerable efforts have been made to develop efficient systems for gene delivery applications. The major challenge of these systems is to overcome different barriers to deliver the genetic material inside the target cells and promote proper transfection. In this way, nonviral gene delivery systems have provided novel possibilities of materials for designing carriers with low immunogenicity, low toxicity, and low cost of production and with the ability of transporting larger nucleic acid molecules. This chapter aims to contribute to the comprehension of the state of the art of biopolymers investigated for gene delivery, including proteins and polypeptides, polysaccharides, and smart nanoparticles, which are biopolymers or the combination of them that show specific characteristics against some stimulus responses. Moreover, physicochemical aspects are presented to relate nanoparticle formation and biological aspects such as type of transfected cells, possible mechanism of internalization, and cytotoxicity.