Abstract
Driven by the promises of gene therapy, PEGylated cationic liposomes (CLs) have been investigated for decades, but their use in the clinical setting is far from established. Such a dichotomy is due to several factors that have been ignored over the last two decades. The hardest challenge seems to occur when PEGylated CLs come into contact with a physiological environment (e.g. the blood). Recent evidence has demonstrated that PEGylation does not completely prevent protein binding (as believed so far), but a biomolecular shell, termed "biomolecular corona" (BC), covers the liposome surface. Here we show that the formation of a BC not only affects the surface properties of PEGylated CLs, but also, and significantly, their bilayer structure thus impairing their ability to safely deliver their cargo to the target site. Therefore, a mechanistic understanding of the structures emerging from liposome-protein interactions may represent a truly new paradigm for the clinical translation of PEGylated CLs.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1884-1888 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Biomaterials Science |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2017 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science(all)
Fields of Expertise
- Human- & Biotechnology
- Advanced Materials Science