title: Interactions between DNA and Gemini surfactant: impact on gene therapy: part I.
abstract: Nonviral gene therapy using gemini surfactants is a unique approach to medicine that can be adapted toward the treatment of various diseases. Recently, gemini surfactants have been utilized as candidates for the formation of nonviral vectors. The chemical structure of the surfactant (variations in the alkyl tail length and spacer/head group) and the resulting physicochemical properties of the lipoplexes are critical parameters for efficient gene transfection. Moreover, studying the interaction of the surfactant with DNA can help in designing an efficient vector and understanding how transfection complexes overcome various cellular barriers. Part I of this review provides an overview of various types of gemini surfactants designed for gene therapy and their transfection efficiency; and Part II will focus on different novel methods utilized to understand the interactions between the gemini and DNA in a lipoplex.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.|Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 144 College Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3M2, Canada.
authors.forename: Taksim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.|Department of Pharmaceutics & Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Khalifa El-Maamon Street, Abbasiya Square, Cairo 11566, Egypt.
authors.forename: Amany O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Kamel
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.|Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: Shawn D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Wettig
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D004247:DNA
keywords: gemini surfactants; gemini–DNA interactions cellular barriers; nonviral gene therapy; transfection efficiency