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Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have been widely engineered for biomedical applications, such as bioimaging and drug delivery, because of their high tunability, which allows them to perform specific functions. In this review, we discuss the functionalization and performance of SiNPs for nucleic acid delivery. Nucleic acids, including plasmid DNA (pDNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA), constitute the next generation molecular drugs for the treatment of intractable diseases. However, their low bioavailability requires delivery systems that can circumvent nuclease attack and kidney filtration to ensure efficient access to the target cell cytoplasm or nucleus. First, we discussed the biological significance of nucleic acids and the parameters required for their successful delivery. Next, we reviewed SiNP designing for nucleic acid delivery with respect to nucleic acid loading and release, cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and biocompatibility. In addition, we discussed the co-delivery potential of SiNPs. Finally, we analyzed the current challenges and future directions of SiNPs for advanced nucleic acid delivery.

Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 14 April 2018
Revised: 28 May 2018
Accepted: 30 May 2018
Published: 27 June 2018
Issue date: October 2018

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by Center of Innovation (COI) program from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI Grant Number 17H02098) from Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science through Program for Leading Graduate Schools (MERIT). This work was also partially supported by the Project for Cancer Research and Therapeutics Evolution (P-CREATE) and Basic Science and Platform Technology Program for Innovative Biological Medicine from Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).

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