Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Martens, Thomas F.
• Remaut, Katrien
• Demeester, Jo
• De Smedt, Stefaan C.
• Braeckmans, Kevin

Titel

Intracellular delivery of nanomaterials: How to catch endosomal escape in the act

Ist Teil von

• Nano today, 2014-06, Vol.9 (3), p.344-364

Ort / Verlag

Kidlington: Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Link zum Volltext

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• •Endosomal escape is a major bottleneck in cytosolic delivery of nanomaterials.•Endosomal escape mechanisms are divided in pore formation, rupture and membrane fusion.•Several assays are used to study endosomal escape mechanisms and efficiency.•The applications and limitations of each assay should be taken into account.•Reliable quantification is necessary to enhance overcoming the endosomal escape barrier. Successful cytosolic delivery of nanomaterials is becoming more and more important, given the increase in intracellular applications of quantum dots, gold nanoparticles, liposomal drug formulations and polymeric gene delivery vectors. Most nanomaterials are taken up by the cell via endocytosis, yet endosomal escape has long been recognized as a major bottleneck in cytosolic delivery. Although it is essential to detect and reliably quantify endosomal escape, no consensus has been reached so far on the methods to do so. This review will summarize and discuss for the first time the different assays used to investigate this elusive step to date.