EB1 modified HSA nanoparticles as non-viral delivery vectors-Influence of peptide concentration on cell uptake

Abstract

Targeted nanoparticle-based gene therapy is a promising alternative to viral gene therapy approaches. The main limitations of non-viral delivery systems currently used are very low transfection efficiency, very high cytotoxicity, and lack of DNA protection leading to premature degradation. The aim of the present work was the development of a stable, biodegradable, nontoxic and plasmid-loaded human serum albumin (HSA)-based nanoparticle system. The nanoparticles were coupled to the cell penetrating peptide (CPP) EB1, a penetratin analogue, in different quantities to improve cell entry and transfection efficiency.