Abstract
Nano-objects made of nucleic acids are becoming promising materials in the biomedical field. This is, in part, due to DNA and RNA self-assembly properties that can be accurately computed to fabricate various complex nanoarchitectures of 2D and 3D shapes. The nanoparticles can be assembled from DNA, RNA, and chemically modified oligonucleotide mixtures which, in turn, influence their chemical and biophysical properties. Solid-phase synthesis allows large-scale production of individual oligonucleotide strands with batch-to-batch consistency and exceptional purity. All of these advantageous characteristics of nucleic-acid-based nanoparticles were known to be exceptionally useful as a nanoplatform for drug delivery purposes. Recently, several important discoveries have been achieved, demonstrating that nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) can also be used to modulate the immune response of host cells. The purpose of this review is to briefly overview studies demonstrating architectural design principles of NANPs, as well as the ability of NANPs to control immune responses.
Highlights
The human immune response can be classified as innate, adaptive, or both
Both pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are known to induce immune responses, and they have been extensively studied for medicinal applications [1,2]
In PAMPs, evolutionarily conserved and diverse chemical identities of peptides, nucleic acids, oligonucleotides, lipids, lipoproteins, and polysaccharides are expressed by a wide variety of infectious microorganisms that trigger the activation of innate immunity
Summary
The human immune response can be classified as innate, adaptive, or both. The innate response is nonspecific, and the response rate is usually rapid, making it the body’s ‘first line of defense’.On the other hand, the adaptive response is an acquired response that is more specific and involves memory. Each successive exposure to the foreign substance increases the defensive response of the immune system, but innate immunity is present prior to any exposure to the foreign body. Both pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are known to induce immune responses, and they have been extensively studied for medicinal applications [1,2]. Interleukins, tumor necrosis factors, hematopoietic growth factors, and interferons are some examples of cytokine types These proinflammatory factors signal the host to start production of high affinity antibodies in order to generate cytotoxic T cells to fight infections [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
