Surface-Mediated Intracellular Delivery by Physical Membrane Disruption.

Area of Science:

• Cell biology
• Biotechnology
• Materials science

Background:

• The cell plasma membrane is a significant barrier to intracellular delivery of exogenous molecules.
• Efficient delivery is crucial for fundamental biological research and therapeutic applications like gene editing and cell therapies.
• Existing methods face limitations in molecule or cell type specificity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in surface-mediated physical membrane disruption techniques for intracellular delivery.
• To categorize and discuss these methods based on their membrane disruption mechanisms.
• To provide a perspective on future developments in the field.

Main Methods:

• Focuses on surface-mediated physical membrane disruption strategies.
• Categorizes methods into mechanical penetration, electroporation, and photothermal poration.
• Reviews progress, particularly from the last decade.

Main Results:

• Surface-mediated physical membrane disruption enables transient increases in cell membrane permeability.
• This facilitates efficient intracellular delivery of various molecules, independent of molecule or cell type.
• Three primary categories of disruption mechanisms have been identified and analyzed.

Conclusions:

• Surface-mediated membrane disruption presents a promising approach for overcoming cellular barriers.
• Continued research into mechanical penetration, electroporation, and photothermal poration is expected to yield further innovations.
• These techniques hold significant potential for advancing cell-based therapies and biological research.