Progress in the development of lipopolyplexes as efficient non-viral gene delivery systems

Efficient gene therapy is mainly dependent on the gene transfer capability of gene delivery vectors. Non-viral vectors have become the research interest of many researchers because these vectors are safer than viral vectors. Acquiring the advantages of both polyplexes and lipoplexes, the lipopolyplex (LPP) is a ternary nanocomplex composed of cationic liposome, polycation, and nucleic acid. Considering the polycationic component, ternary complexes (LPPs) are divided into cationic polymer-based LPPs and cationic peptide-based LPPs. Considering the capability of rational design, LPP is an interesting field of research to design a more potent nucleic acid carrier. With the promising transfection activity and safety observed in the LPPs, many researchers have formulated various types of lipids and polycations to achieve an efficient and safe carrier for gene therapy. Here we provide a review on the designed LPPs for efficient delivery of different nucleic acids such as plasmid DNA, siRNA, shRNA, and DNA vaccines. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.