A review of chitosan in gene therapy: Developments and challenges

Gene therapy, as a revolutionary treatment, has been gaining more and more attention. The key to gene therapy is the selection of suitable vectors for protection of exogenous nucleic acid molecules and enabling their specific release in target cells. While viral vectors have been widely used in researches, non-viral vectors are receiving more attention due to its advantages. Chitosan (CS) has been widely used as non-viral organic gene carrier because of its good biocompatibility and its ability to load large amounts of nucleic acids. This paper summarizes and evaluates the potential of chitosan and its derivatives as gene delivery vector materials, along with factors influencing transfection efficiency, performance evaluation, ways to optimize infectious efficiency, and the current main research development directions. Additionally, it provides an outlook on its future prospects.

Automated summary

Gene therapy is a revolutionary treatment that requires suitable vectors for protecting and releasing exogenous nucleic acids in target cells. Chitosan, as a non-viral vector, has gained attention due to its good biocompatibility and ability to load large amounts of nucleic acids. This paper summarizes the potential of chitosan and its derivatives as gene delivery vector materials, discusses factors influencing transfection efficiency, performance evaluation, ways to optimize infectious efficiency, and current research development directions. It also provides an outlook on the future prospects of chitosan.