Carbon-Based Nanostructures as Emerging Materials for Gene Delivery Applications

• Main Authors: Sara Yazdani (Author), Mehrdad Mozaffarian (Author), Gholamreza Pazuki (Author), Naghmeh Hadidi (Author), Ilia Villate-Beitia (Author), Jon Zárate (Author), Gustavo Puras (Author), Jose Luis Pedraz (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2024-02-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16020288; 1999-4923
• Keywords: carbon-based nanostructures; carbon nanotubes; carbon quantum dots; nano-diamonds; gene therapy; non-viral vectors; Pharmacy and materia medica; RS1-441
• Source: Pharmaceutics, Vol 16, Iss 2, p 288 (2024)

Gene therapeutics are promising for treating diseases at the genetic level, with some already validated for clinical use. Recently, nanostructures have emerged for the targeted delivery of genetic material. Nanomaterials, exhibiting advantageous properties such as a high surface-to-volume ratio, biocompatibility, facile functionalization, substantial loading capacity, and tunable physicochemical characteristics, are recognized as non-viral vectors in gene therapy applications. Despite progress, current non-viral vectors exhibit notably low gene delivery efficiency. Progress in nanotechnology is essential to overcome extracellular and intracellular barriers in gene delivery. Specific nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon quantum dots (CQDs), nanodiamonds (NDs), and similar carbon-based structures can accommodate diverse genetic materials such as plasmid DNA (pDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), small interference RNA (siRNA), micro RNA (miRNA), and antisense oligonucleotides (AONs). To address challenges such as high toxicity and low transfection efficiency, advancements in the features of carbon-based nanostructures (CBNs) are imperative. This overview delves into three types of CBNs employed as vectors in drug/gene delivery systems, encompassing their synthesis methods, properties, and biomedical applications. Ultimately, we present insights into the opportunities and challenges within the captivating realm of gene delivery using CBNs.