Improving chitosan-mediated gene transfer by the introduction of intracellular buffering moieties into the chitosan backbone

Development of a gene-activated scaffold platform for tissue engineering applications using chitosan-pDNA nanoparticles on collagen-based scaffolds

“…PEI is a delivery vector known to act in this way through what is termed the 'proton sponge' effect [11,55]. However, the inability of PCS to act like a proton sponge may explain the low transfection efficiency achieved with this polymer in this and other studies [15,21,56]. Interestingly, OCS-pDNA nanoparticles are reported to enter cells via clathrin-independent pathways, namely the caveolae route of endocytosis.…”

Anthrax toxin-induced rupture of artificial lipid bilayer membranes

“…103 A variety of agents (chitosan, 104 cationic peptides, [105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112] cationic polymers, 113,114 and an HIV gp41 peptide 115 ) are used to transfer genes into a cell. In those cases, osmoticants and lysosomotropic agents draw water into the endosome, causing it to swell and burst.…”

Endosomal Escape Pathways for Non-Viral Nucleic Acid Delivery Systems

“…A similar approach was adopted by other researchers to enhance other polycations by introducing imidazole moieties to enhance the pH buffering capacity and ultimately promote endosomal escape. (Yang, Lee et al 2006;Moreira, Oliveira et al 2009). …”