Title:The Application of Nucleic Acid Nanomaterials in the Treatment of Mitochondrial
Dysfunction
Volume: 24
Issue: 5
Author(s): Lan Yao, Qing Hai*Tao Zhang*
Affiliation:
- School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, United States
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China School of Stomatology,
Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Keywords:
Mitochondrial dysfunction, nucleic acid drugs, drug delivery, nanomaterials, mitochondrial targeting, framework nucleic acid.
Abstract: Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered highly related to the development and progression of diseases,
including cancer, metabolism disturbance, and neurodegeneration. Traditional pharmacological approach for mitochondrial
dysfunction treatment has off-target and dose-dependent side effects, which leads to the emergence of
mitochondrial gene therapy by regulating coding or noncoding genes by using nucleic acid sequences such as oligonucleotides,
peptide nucleic acids, rRNA, siRNA, etc. To avoid size heterogeneity and potential cytotoxicity of the
traditional delivery vehicle like liposome, framework nucleic acids have shown promising potentials. First, special
spatial structure like tetrahedron allows entry into cells without transfection reagents. Second, the nature of nucleic
acid provides the editability of framework structure, more sites and methods for drug loading and targeted sequences
linking, providing efficient transportation and accurate targeting to mitochondria. Third, controllable size leads a
possibility to go through biological barrier such as the blood-brain barrier, reaching the central nervous system to
reverse mitochondria-related neurodegeneration. In addition, it's biocompatibility and physiological environmental
stability open up the possibility of in vivo treatments for mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, we discuss the
challenges and opportunities of framework nucleic acids-based delivery systems in mitochondrial dysfunction.