Nanotechnology and nucleic acid nanoparticles for treatment of metabolic disorders

Abstract

Metabolic disorders result from inborn and acquired dysfunction of organs and tissues that are responsible for producing energy in the body. These diseases are now among the most prevalent maladies in the world. Treatment often requires addressing individual conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and liver diseases with a combination of multiple drugs. Accumulating evidence shows that the defects or overexpression of some specific genes in the diseased organ cause such diseases. Therefore, advanced options are required to control them at the molecular level. In this review, we highlight the current approaches of nanotechnologies, especially for delivering exogenous nucleic acid nanoparticles to treat metabolic disorders. We also summarize the mechanisms of how various nucleic acid nanoparticles have been utilized, the trends, and the potential applications of these materials in metabolic disorders. Greater knowledge of nanotechnologies and nucleic acid particles may pave the way to cure these prevalent diseases effectively.

Keywords

• Nucleic acid nanoparticles
• Metabolic disorders
• Non-viral gene vectors
• Gene delivery system
• Gene therapy