The Progress of Non-Viral Materials and Methods for Gene Delivery to Skeletal Muscle

A high-capacity combination of Pluronic L64-Cupping for intramuscular gene delivery

Intramuscular injection of plasmid DNA (pDNA) is a promising approach for gene therapy, but its efficiency is hindered by both extracellular and intracellular barriers. The extracellular matrix (ECM), including collagens and nucleases, obstructs pDNA penetration, while intracellular challenges include crossing the plasma membrane, escaping endosomes, and reaching the nucleus. Though non-viral carriers like polymers and cationic lipids have been developed, they often fail to address both barriers simultaneously, leading to poor gene transfer in vivo. Physical methods exist but may damage tissues and cause patient discomfort. Here, we introduce a Pluronic L64-Cupping (L/C) gene delivery system that enhances pDNA delivery by sequentially overcoming ECM diffusion, membrane permeabilization, and intracellular transfection. After intramuscular injection of the pDNA-Pluronic L64 mixture, negative pressure is applied to the injection site, significantly boosting reporter gene expression and sustaining it for at least 42 days. Additionally, this system effectively induces HBsAb production in mice, offering a safe, efficient, and cost-effective platform for both laboratory and clinical gene therapy applications.

Liposome-Enabled Nanomaterials for Muscle Regeneration

Muscle regeneration is a vital biological process that is crucial for maintaining muscle function and integrity, particularly for the treatment of muscle diseases such as sarcopenia and muscular dystrophy. Generally, muscular tissues can self-repair and regenerate under various conditions, including acute or chronic injuries, aging, and genetic mutation. However, regeneration becomes challenging beyond a certain threshold, particularly in severe muscle injuries or progressive diseases. In recent years, liposome-based nanotechnologies have shown potential as promising therapeutic strategies for muscle regeneration. Liposomes offer an adaptable platform for targeted drug delivery due to their cell membrane-like structure and excellent biocompatibility. They can enhance drug solubility, stability, and targeted delivery while minimizing systemic side effects by different mechanisms. This review summarizes recent advancements, discusses current applications and mechanisms, and highlights challenges and future directions for possible clinical translation of liposome-based nanomaterials in the treatment of muscle diseases. It is hoped this review offers new insights into the development of liposome-enabled nanomedicine to address current limitations.

Essential information about nanotechnology in cardiology

Cardiology, as a medical specialty, addresses cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), a leading cause of global mortality. Nanomaterials offer transformative potential across key areas such as drug delivery, stem cell therapy, imaging, and gene delivery. Nanomaterials improve solubility, bioavailability, and targeted delivery in drug delivery, reducing systemic side effects. Examples include gas microbubbles, liposomal preparations, and paramagnetic nanoparticles, which show promise in treating atherosclerosis. Stem cell therapy benefits from nanotechnology through enhanced cell culture conditions and three-dimensional scaffolds that support cardiomyocyte growth and survival. Gold nanoparticles and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-derived microparticles further improve stem cell viability. In imaging, nanomaterials enable advanced visualization techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging with direct labeling and optical tracking via dye-conjugated nanoparticles. In gene delivery, polymeric nanocarriers like polyethyleneimine, dendrimers, and graphene-based materials offer efficient, non-viral alternatives, with magnetic nanoparticles showing promise in targeted applications. Ongoing research highlights the potential of nanomaterials to revolutionize CVD management by improving therapeutic outcomes and enabling precision medicine. These advancements position nanotechnology as a cornerstone of modern cardiology.

The menace of severe adverse events and deaths associated with viral gene therapy and its potential solution

Over the past decade, in vivo gene replacement therapy has significantly advanced, resulting in market approval of numerous therapeutics predominantly relying on adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV). While viral vectors have undeniably addressed several critical healthcare challenges, their clinical application has unveiled a range of limitations and safety concerns. This review highlights the emerging challenges in the field of gene therapy. At first, we discuss both the role of biological barriers in viral gene therapy with a focus on AAVs, and review current landscape of in vivo human gene therapy. We delineate advantages and disadvantages of AAVs as gene delivery vehicles, mostly from the safety perspective (hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, neurotoxicity, inflammatory responses etc.), and outline the mechanisms of adverse events in response to AAV. Contribution of every aspect of AAV vectors (genomic structure, capsid proteins) and host responses to injected AAV is considered and substantiated by basic, translational and clinical studies. The updated evaluation of recent AAV clinical trials and current medical experience clearly shows the risks of AAVs that sometimes overshadow the hopes for curing a hereditary disease. At last, a set of established and new molecular and nanotechnology tools and approaches are provided as potential solutions for mitigating or eliminating side effects. The increasing number of severe adverse reactions and, sadly deaths, demands decisive actions to resolve the issue of immune responses and extremely high doses of viral vectors used for gene therapy. In response to these challenges, various strategies are under development, including approaches aimed at augmenting characteristics of viral vectors and others focused on creating secure and efficacious non-viral vectors. This comprehensive review offers an overarching perspective on the present state of gene therapy utilizing both viral and non-viral vectors.

The Interaction Mechanism of Intramuscular Gene Delivery Materials with Cell Membranes

It has been confirmed that skeletal muscle cells have the capability to receive foreign plasmid DNA (pDNA) and express functional proteins. This provides a promisingly applicable strategy for safe, convenient, and economical gene therapy. However, intramuscular pDNA delivery efficiency was not high enough for most therapeutic purposes. Some non-viral biomaterials, especially several amphiphilic triblock copolymers, have been shown to significantly improve intramuscular gene delivery efficiency, but the detailed process and mechanism are still not well understood. In this study, the molecular dynamics simulation method was applied to investigate the structure and energy changes of the material molecules, the cell membrane, and the DNA molecules at the atomic and molecular levels. From the results, the interaction process and mechanism of the material molecules with the cell membrane were revealed, and more importantly, the simulation results almost completely matched the previous experimental results. This study may help us design and optimize better intramuscular gene delivery materials for clinical applications.