Premium
Inorganic Nanoparticles as Carriers of Nucleic Acids into Cells
Author(s) -
Sokolova Viktoriya,
Epple Matthias
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.200703039
Subject(s) - nucleic acid , transfection , gene silencing , dna , rna , chemistry , nanoparticle , small interfering rna , nanotechnology , biochemistry , biophysics , gene , combinatorial chemistry , biology , materials science
The transfer of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) into living cells, that is, transfection, is a major technique in current biochemistry and molecular biology. This process permits the selective introduction of genetic material for protein synthesis as well as the selective inhibition of protein synthesis (antisense or gene silencing). As nucleic acids alone are not able to penetrate the cell wall, efficient carriers are needed. Besides viral, polymeric, and liposomal agents, inorganic nanoparticles are especially suitable for this purpose because they can be prepared and surface‐functionalized in many different ways. Herein, the current state of the art is discussed from a chemical viewpoint. Advantages and disadvantages of the available methods are compared.