Gene Delivery Using Lipoplexes and Polyplexes: Principles, Limitations and Solutions.

Gene therapy has attracted considerable attention for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. Successful gene therapy occurs when the therapeutic genes penetrate targeted cells and become available to the intracellular active site. Currently, a promising approach in gene delivery is the use of nonviral gene delivery vectors that lack immunogenicity but have low toxicity and potential tissue specificity. The widely used, existing nonviral gene vectors are cationic lipids and polymers that can pass across extracellular and intracellular barriers. However, the toxicity of these vectors is a barrier to their use. Currently, the disadvantages of nonviral vectors have been minimized by several modifications. The main purpose of this review is to describe the pros and cons of gene delivery using cationic lipids and polymers.