Abstract
Intracellular delivery of functional molecules, such as DNA probes and plasmids, is an important method for investigating cellular mechanisms and changing cell fates in biomedicine. Among various delivery methods, recent years have seen the emergence of electroporation-based techniques that provide versatile platforms for molecule delivery, with high efficiency and controlled dosage. In this Review, we describe recent electroporation-based systems for intracellular molecule delivery. The principles of electroporation for cell membrane perforation and cargo delivery are briefly summarized. Focusing on various scenarios for the application of electroporation, we review electroporation devices that variously employ structures based on nanochannels, nanostraws, and flow-through microfluidic channels for in vitro intracellular molecule delivery. We also consider in vivo targeted therapies based on delivery of active molecules by electroporation according to the lesion locations. Finally, we discuss the current challenges facing electroporation-based techniques, as well as opportunities for their future development, which may lead to innovations in intracellular molecule delivery both for cellular analysis in the laboratory and treatment in the clinic.
Highlights
Electroporation-based techniques have emerged as a robust tool able to deliver various types of molecules into cells, and these techniques play a significant role in biomedical research as well as possessing great therapeutic potential
The controlled electroporation process enables molecule delivery with precise dosage control and high cell viability. In this Review, we have systematically described the principle of electroporation and recent applications of electroporation-based systems to intracellular delivery both in vitro and in vivo
For in vitro intracellular delivery, the micro/nanodevices scitation.org/journal/npe used for electroporation enable cellular analysis with high throughput and single-cell precision
Summary
Exploring molecular mechanisms in cells and manipulating the fate of dysregulated cells are both tasks that have been the focus of numerous biomedical studies. Intracellular delivery of molecules such as DNA probes and plasmids is central to the successful decoding of cellular functions and reprogramming of aberrant cellular behavior. the cell membrane acts as a defensive wall that resists the entrance of extraneous cargoes, forming an obstacle to intracellular molecule delivery. A variety of methods have been developed to help cargoes break through this wall, such as nanomaterial-based carriers, direct penetration, and membrane permeabilization. Among these, electroporation-based techniques have emerged as a robust tool able to deliver various types of molecules into cells, and these techniques play a significant role in biomedical research as well as possessing great therapeutic potential.. Electroporation-based techniques have emerged as a robust tool able to deliver various types of molecules into cells, and these techniques play a significant role in biomedical research as well as possessing great therapeutic potential.. The range of application of electroporation has been expanded from in vitro cell research to in vivo targeted therapy.. The range of application of electroporation has been expanded from in vitro cell research to in vivo targeted therapy.14–16 In this Review, we describe recently developed electroporationbased systems for delivering functional molecules into cells. The challenges faced by current electroporation systems are described, with particular emphasis on clinical adoption This Review will aid biomedical researchers in understanding the principles and applications of electroporation. We believe that electroporation-based delivery systems will become versatile tools both in the laboratory to facilitate the exploration of cell function and in clinical practice as innovative therapeutic techniques
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