title: Gemini surfactants: a new family of building blocks for non-viral gene delivery systems.
abstract: Gemini surfactants provide a significant opportunity in the development of new non-viral delivery systems designed for gene therapy applications. This review summarizes the wide range of gemini surfactant structures that have been employed for DNA transfection in vitro. A general observation is that those structures capable of inducing a wide variety of polymorphic structures (lamellar, hexagonal, or cubic phases) demonstrate higher transfection efficiencies. Those compounds whose structures result in pH-dependent changes in aggregate structure similarly show higher levels of transfection. In vivo transfection using gemini surfactants has been demonstrated in only three cases, and in a recent study the transfection was linked to a specific therapeutic response.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Shawn D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Wettig
authors.forename: Ronald E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Verrall
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foldvari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles; D010957:Plasmids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D013501:Surface-Active Agents