Open AccessIonic liquids: prospects for nucleic acid handling and delivery
Author(s) -
Ksenia S. Egorova,
Alexandra V. Posvyatenko,
Sergey S. Larin,
Valentine P. Ananikov
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nucleic acids research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 9.008
H-Index - 537
eISSN - 1362-4954
pISSN - 0305-1048
DOI - 10.1093/nar/gkaa1280
Subject(s) - nucleic acid , ionic liquid , biology , function (biology) , computational biology , gene delivery , nanotechnology , biochemistry , combinatorial chemistry , gene , biochemical engineering , materials science , genetics , genetic enhancement , chemistry , catalysis , engineering
Operations with nucleic acids are among the main means of studying the mechanisms of gene function and developing novel methods of molecular medicine and gene therapy. These endeavours usually imply the necessity of nucleic acid storage and delivery into eukaryotic cells. In spite of diversity of the existing dedicated techniques, all of them have their limitations. Thus, a recent notion of using ionic liquids in manipulations of nucleic acids has been attracting significant attention lately. Due to their unique physicochemical properties, in particular, their micro-structuring impact and tunability, ionic liquids are currently applied as solvents and stabilizing media in chemical synthesis, electrochemistry, biotechnology, and other areas. Here, we review the current knowledge on interactions between nucleic acids and ionic liquids and discuss potential advantages of applying the latter in delivery of the former into eukaryotic cells.