PEGylated lipids in lipid nanoparticle delivery dynamics and therapeutic innovation

• Peiyang Gao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1914–1930, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.133

• efficiency, and immunogenicity after partial or complete replacement of original PEG lipids. Polysarcosine (pSar) is a polypeptoid composed of repeating units of N-methylated glycine. It has been explored as a substitute for PEG lipid in LNP formulations to improve the safety and effectiveness of gene

• delivery [79]. pSar shares many of PEG’s stabilizing properties, such as preventing particle aggregation and providing a hydrophilic barrier, but it offers improved biocompatibility and a lower risk of immune activation [80]. In an earlier study, DMG-PEG lipid was replaced with pSar lipids of different

Exploring the potential of polymers: advancements in oral nanocarrier technology

• Rousilândia de Araujo Silva,
• Igor Eduardo Silva Arruda,
• Luise Lopes Chaves,
• Mônica Felts de La Roca Soares and
• Jose Lamartine Soares Sobrinho

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1751–1793, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.122

Venom-loaded cationic-functionalized poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles for serum production against Tityus serrulatus scorpion

• Philippe de Castro Mesquita,
• Karla Samara Rocha Soares,
• Manoela Torres-Rêgo,
• Emanuell dos Santos-Silva,
• Mariana Farias Alves-Silva,
• Alianda Maira Cornélio,
• Matheus de Freitas Fernandes-Pedrosa and
• Arnóbio Antônio da Silva-Júnior

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1633–1643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.115

• polyethylenimine (PEI), to change the surface of nanoparticles to a positive potential, improving the interaction with negatively charged biomolecules, is one strategy successfully employed for gene delivery [20][23][24]. These cationic nanoparticles have an absent or weak electrostatic interaction with negatively

Nanomaterials for biomedical applications

• Iqra Zainab,
• Zohra Naseem,
• Syeda Rubab Batool,
• Filippo Pierini,
• Seda Kizilel and
• Muhammad Anwaar Nazeer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1499–1503, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.105

• their controlled release. They are also being investigated as gene delivery agents since they can transport DNA or RNA, making them a potential candidate for therapies such as gene therapy and RNA-based vaccines [11]. Furthermore, carbon nanotubes have revealed promising results in targeted delivery

Ferroptosis induction by engineered liposomes for enhanced tumor therapy

• Alireza Ghasempour,
• Mohammad Amin Tokallou,
• Mohammad Reza Naderi Allaf,
• Mohsen Moradi,
• Hamideh Dehghan,
• Mahsa Sedighi,
• Mohammad-Ali Shahbazi and
• Fahimeh Lavi Arab

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1325–1349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.97

• that balance therapeutic efficacy with minimal off-target effects, ensuring safer and more effective clinical translation. The ability to firmly entrap the medications or genes and stop premature leaking before they reach the target presents another difficulty when using liposomes for drug and gene

• delivery. Effective lipid binding of medications and genes is necessary to overcome this obstacle [126]. Moreover, the increasing number of physicochemical variables in liposomal formulations makes it difficult to evaluate their pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicology after administration, which

Synthetic-polymer-assisted antisense oligonucleotide delivery: targeted approaches for precision disease treatment

• Ana Cubillo Alvarez,
• Dylan Maguire and
• Ruairí P. Brannigan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 435–463, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.34

• for transfection, limiting its exploration in gene delivery [85]. Furthermore, while both PLO and PLL can induce cytotoxicity at elevated concentration, PLL’s toxicity has been more thoroughly studied and mitigated. This success has made PLL the preferred choice in many studies, reducing the impetus

• cytotoxicity, requiring careful optimisation for therapeutic applications. In their pursuit of more effective gene delivery systems, Kim et al. explored the potential of poly(ʟ-arginine) as a vital component in targeting CD44-positive cancer cells through a novel siRNA delivery platform [94]. The researchers

• of PLG (DP = 20) in the development of a novel gene delivery system. In this study, surface-modified complexes were designed using PLG as a backbone to which polyethylene glycol (PEG, Mw = 5, 10, and 20 kDa) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) were conjugated [101]. This approach aimed to enhance the

Graphene oxide–chloroquine conjugate induces DNA damage in A549 lung cancer cells through autophagy modulation

• Braham Dutt Arya,
• Sandeep Mittal,
• Prachi Joshi,
• Alok Kumar Pandey,
• Jaime E. Ramirez-Vick,
• Govind Gupta and
• Surinder P. Singh

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 316–332, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.24

• plasmid employing the conventional lipid-mediated gene delivery reagent lipofectamine 2000 following manufacturer’s instructions. After 6 h, the transfection medium was replaced with fresh medium and the cells were incubated overnight. The cells were then exposed to 25 μg/mL GO–Chl for 24 h and washed

Liver-targeting iron oxide nanoparticles and their complexes with plant extracts for biocompatibility

• Shushanik A. Kazaryan,
• Seda A. Oganian,
• Gayane S. Vardanyan,
• Anatolie S. Sidorenko and
• Ashkhen A. Hovhannisyan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1593–1602, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.125

• Fe3O4 NPs have great potential for commercial use and have already found applications in biomedicine, such as magnetic resonance imaging (as contrast enhancement agents), targeted drug or gene delivery, tissue engineering, biological fluid detoxification, hyperthermia, biological sensing, nanozymes, and

Nanotechnological approaches for efficient N2B delivery: from small-molecule drugs to biopharmaceuticals

• Selin Akpinar Adscheid,
• Akif E. Türeli,
• Nazende Günday-Türeli and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1400–1414, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.113

• between these materials, and the intracellular uptake for gene delivery. The authors encapsulated luciferase mRNA in the cationic liposomal formulation to quantify the mRNA expression distribution in the brain. The results of the in vivo studies with mice showed a dose-dependent increase in luciferase

Nanomedicines against Chagas disease: a critical review

• Maria Jose Morilla,
• Kajal Ghosal and
• Eder Lilia Romero

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 333–349, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.30

• Pharmaceuticals BVTM [98]. Newly available nanomedicines are not limited to the delivery of small drugs. Several anti-infective nanoparticulate vaccines, most of them for non-viral gene delivery have recently hit the market. Examples are these constituted by lipid nanoparticles made of phospholipids, cholesterol

The steep road to nonviral nanomedicines: Frequent challenges and culprits in designing nanoparticles for gene therapy

• Yao Yao,
• Yeongun Ko,
• Grant Grasman,
• Jeffery E. Raymond and
• Joerg Lahann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 351–361, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.30

• School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Buk-gu, Gwangju 61186, South Korea 10.3762/bjnano.14.30 Abstract The potential of therapeutically loaded nanoparticles (NPs) has been successfully demonstrated during the last decade, with NP-mediated nonviral gene delivery

• overview of the current status and outline important concerns regarding the need for standardized protocols to evaluate NP uptake, NP transfection efficacy, drug dose determination, and variability of nonviral gene delivery systems. Based on these concerns, we propose wide adherence to multimodal

• field of nonviral gene delivery. Keywords: characterization; dosage; gene delivery; uptake; transfection; Introduction Recent efforts to develop and translate therapeutically loaded nanoparticles (NPs) have resulted in several advances in the treatment and prevention of disease. Key areas where NP

Polymer nanoparticles from low-energy nanoemulsions for biomedical applications

• Santiago Grijalvo and
• Carlos Rodriguez-Abreu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 339–350, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.29

• antisense oligonucleotide as the negative control. Figure 3 was reprinted from [54], International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 478. issue 1, by C. Fornaguera; S. Grijalvo; M. Galán; E. Fuentes-Paniagua; F. J. de la Mata; R. Gómez; R. Eritja; G. Calderó; C. Solans, “Novel non-viral gene delivery systems

Recent progress in cancer cell membrane-based nanoparticles for biomedical applications

• Qixiong Lin,
• Yueyou Peng,
• Yanyan Wen,
• Xiaoqiong Li,
• Donglian Du,
• Weibin Dai,
• Wei Tian and
• Yanfeng Meng

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 262–279, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.24

• , cardiovascular diseases, and immune system diseases). Third, the integration of cancer cell-based NPs in existing therapeutic and diagnostic strategies is presented and discussed, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, thermotherapy, reactive oxygen species-related therapies, gene delivery, tumor vaccines, and

• tumor tissue, such as mRNA, siRNA, miRNA, and sgRNA [113]. This strategy can avoid the impact on normal tissues and shows the advantage of low cytotoxicity. However, RNA is highly unstable and can be easily degraded and eliminated by the kidney [114]. Gene delivery technology based on biomimetic NPs

Nanotechnology – a robust tool for fighting the challenges of drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

• Filip Gorachinov,
• Fatima Mraiche,
• Diala Alhaj Moustafa,
• Ola Hishari,
• Yomna Ismail,
• Jensa Joseph,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Nikola Geskovski and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 240–261, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.23

• of molecularly targeted drugs, chemotherapeutic agents, and siRNA. Historically, the most promising first-generation, passive targeting, stealth polymer NPs for anticancer drug/gene delivery are hydrophobic core–hydrophilic shell NPs including (i) self-assembled kinetically stable amphiphilic block

• entire cardiac output, but successful lung localization of nanocarriers depends upon NP interaction with the endothelial cells. Lung endothelial cells are an important target for drugs and gene delivery as they are involved in processes such as inflammation, vascular permeability, and tumor growth. Also

Cyclodextrins as eminent constituents in nanoarchitectonics for drug delivery systems

• Makoto Komiyama

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 218–232, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.21

• was adapted with permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry from [67] (“Highly effective gene delivery based on cyclodextrin multivalent assembly in target cancer cells” by Y.-H. Liu and Y. Liu, J. Mater. Chem. B, vol. 10, issue 6, © 2022); permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc

Gelatin nanoparticles with tunable mechanical properties: effect of crosslinking time and loading

• Agnes-Valencia Weiss,
• Daniel Schorr,
• Julia K. Metz,
• Metin Yildirim,
• Saeed Ahmad Khan and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 778–787, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.68

• macromolecules, such as proteins [12] and peptides [13], or in the field of gene delivery [14]. The surface charge of gelatin nanoparticles at physiological pH can be easily influenced by the choice of gelatin type [15]. Crosslinking of gelatin nanoparticles is still inevitable to obtain particles that are

Theranostic potential of self-luminescent branched polyethyleneimine-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles

• Rouhollah Khodadust,
• Ozlem Unal and
• Havva Yagci Acar

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 82–95, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.6

• valuable since they are widely used for drug and gene delivery and may provide “label-free tracking” of these agents in vivo and in vitro [25][26]. Although both PEI and PAMAM have been studied for drug/gene delivery for decades, these systems have not been recognized as luminescent delivery vehicles until

• theranostic nanomaterials, PAMAM and PEI were frequently coupled with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for drug/gene delivery combined with magnetic resonance imaging [31][32]. Usually, these systems were conjugated with other fluorescent tags for optical detection of nanoparticles in cells

• % magnetite and 77% of maghemite SPIONs [35]. Here, the cytotoxicity of SPION@bPEI, its potential for therapeutic gene delivery, and label-free optical imaging were investigated. For this purpose, PIC which is a synthetic dsRNA was electrostatically loaded into SPION@bPEI at different N/P ratios (1.4/1, 2.8/1

Comprehensive review on ultrasound-responsive theranostic nanomaterials: mechanisms, structures and medical applications

• Sepand Tehrani Fateh,
• Lida Moradi,
• Elmira Kohan,
• Michael R. Hamblin and
• Amin Shiralizadeh Dezfuli

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 808–862, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.64

• consecutive waves, amplify US signals, and eventually increase the image contrast [72][167]. In US-based drug and gene delivery systems, MBs have been used as carriers which can be loaded with a therapeutic agent and can be tracked or traced to the target site using low-intensity US imaging, and finally

The impact of molecular tumor profiling on the design strategies for targeting myeloid leukemia and EGFR/CD44-positive solid tumors

• Nikola Geskovski,
• Nadica Matevska-Geshkovska,
• Simona Dimchevska Sazdovska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Kristina Mladenovska and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 375–401, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.31

Cardiomyocyte uptake mechanism of a hydroxyapatite nanoparticle mediated gene delivery system

• Hiroaki Komuro,
• Masahiro Yamazoe,
• Kosuke Nozaki,
• Akiko Nagai and
• Tetsuo Sasano

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1685–1692, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.150

• gene delivery systems aimed at penetrating specific target cells, we focused on safe and non-viral gene delivery materials with a high transfection efficiency. Although various techniques have been developed, the mechanisms underlying the cellular uptake of gene delivery materials have not yet been

• . Furthermore, this HL-1 cell uptake was generated in response to HAp stimulation. Thus, HAp is a positive regulator of macropinocytosis in HL-1 cells and a good system for gene delivery in cardiomyocytes. Keywords: cardiomyocyte; endocytosis; gene delivery system; hydroxyapatite nanoparticles

• regarding safety has attracted significant attention [4][5]. The calcium phosphate (CaP) co-precipitation method has been extensively used for gene delivery due to its excellent biocompatibility and simple preparation [6]. CaP is commonly considered as one of the most important inorganic materials for

Multilayer capsules made of weak polyelectrolytes: a review on the preparation, functionalization and applications in drug delivery

• Varsha Sharma and
• Anandhakumar Sundaramurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 508–532, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.41

• /biopolymer systems in applications such as therapeutics, biosensing, bioimaging, bioreactors, vaccination, tissue engineering and gene delivery. This review gives an emerging outlook on the advantages and unique responsiveness of weak polyelectrolyte based systems that can enable their widespread use in

Poly(1-vinylimidazole) polyplexes as novel therapeutic gene carriers for lung cancer therapy

• Gayathri Kandasamy,
• Elena N. Danilovtseva,
• Vadim V. Annenkov and
• Uma Maheswari Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 354–369, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.26

• administration of the naked oligonucleotide [2]. The majority of gene delivery studies have employed viral vectors due to their superior transfection capabilities. But the high frequency of mutations and packing limitations associated with viral vectors necessitate the search for safer alternatives [3]. In this

• context, non-viral vectors have garnered interest in recent years as gene delivery vehicles. But the highly cationic nature of the employed carriers is associated with immunogenicity and toxicity. Further, the ability of these carriers to escape the acidic endosomes in the cells limit their transfection

• efficiency [3]. One of the widely explored non-viral polymeric carriers for gene delivery is poly(ethylene imine) (PEI), which can effectively escape from the endosomes through the “proton sponge” mechanism [4]. However, PEI systems are limited by their toxicity and, hence, there is a need for less toxic but

Molecular architectonics of DNA for functional nanoarchitectures

• Debasis Ghosh,
• Lakshmi P. Datta and
• Thimmaiah Govindaraju

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 124–140, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.11

• of ‘raspberry‐like’ particles with potential gene delivery application [99]. The novelty of the ‘raspberry-like’ structures lay in their biocompatible ‘shield’, which protected the capped DNA from enzymatic degradation. Gianneschi and co-workers documented the synthesis of crystalline gold nanowires

Microfluidics as tool to prepare size-tunable PLGA nanoparticles with high curcumin encapsulation for efficient mucus penetration

• Nashrawan Lababidi,
• Valentin Sigal,
• Aljoscha Koenneke,
• Konrad Schwarzkopf,
• Andreas Manz and
• Marc Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2280–2293, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.220

• vaccine delivery [1][2], in anticancer therapies [3][4], as well as for gene delivery [5][6]. Owing to the unique physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, the nanoparticle surface can be specifically modified to meet the needs of the desired application [7][8]. Such surface modifications can also be

Microbubbles decorated with dendronized magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical imaging: effective stabilization via fluorous interactions

• Da Shi,
• Justine Wallyn,
• Dinh-Vu Nguyen,
• Francis Perton,
• Delphine Felder-Flesch,
• Sylvie Bégin-Colin,
• Mounir Maaloum and
• Marie Pierre Krafft

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2103–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.205

• , micrometer-sized gas particles dispersed in an aqueous medium, are clinically used as contrast agents for ultrasound imaging, including molecular imaging, and actively investigated for surgical ablation, targeted drug and gene delivery [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. They are also being examined for use, in

• osmotic agent [14][15] and as a co-surfactant to phospholipids [16] and block co-polymers [17]. Nanoparticles can be attached to the bubble shells to extend their diagnostic and therapeutic potential by combining multimodal imaging, drug or gene delivery, and/or enhancement and control of the acoustic