title: Chitosans for delivery of nucleic acids.
abstract: Alternatives to efficient viral vectors in gene therapy are desired because of their poor safety profiles. Chitosan is a promising non-viral nucleotide delivery vector because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, low immunogenicity and ease of manufacturing. Since the transfection efficiency of chitosan polyplexes is relatively low compared to viral counterparts, there is an impetus to gain a better understanding of the structure-performance relationship. Recent progress in preparation and characterisation has enabled coupling analysis of chitosans structural parameters that has led to increased TE by tailoring of chitosan's structure. In this review, we summarize the recent advances that have lead to a more rational design of chitosan polyplexes. We present an integrated review of all major areas of chitosan-based transfection, including preparation, chitosan and polyplexes physicochemical characterisation, in vitro and in vivo assessment. In each, we present the obstacles to efficient transfection and the strategies adopted over time to surmount these impediments.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Chemical Engineering and Inst. Biomedical Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, QC, Canada. Electronic address: michael.buschmann@polymtl.ca.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Buschmann
authors.forename: Abderrazzak
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Merzouki
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lavertu
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thibault
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jean
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Darras
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D011119:Polynucleotides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011119:Polynucleotides; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: Chitosans; Gene delivery; Nanotechnology; Nucleic acid; Polysaccharide; RNAi