A NOVEL APROACH IN POLYPEPTIDE-BASED COMPLEXES FOR GENE DELIVERY

This work aimed to synthesize polypeptide-based nanoparticles by electrostatic complexation for future applications in the nanomedicine field, specifically for gene therapy. Nanoparticles based on polylysine polypeptide (PLL) and plasmid DNA, PLL and polyacid glutamic (PGA), and ternary complexes among PLL, PGA, and DNA were synthesized in bulk process for an initial validation of the synthesis approach. The nanoparticles presented a proper mean diameter and positive surface charge required for gene delivery. As a conclusion, we present in this work the importance of shielding the positive charge of PLL with PGA to tailor these materials for future applications in gene therapy.