Gold Nanoparticles Coated with Nucleic Acids: An Overview of the Different Bioconjugation Pathways

Area of Science:

• Nanomedicine
• Bioconjugation Chemistry
• Gene Therapy

Background:

• Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with nucleic acids show promise for gene therapy.
• While DNA-AuNP conjugation is well-established, RNA-AuNP conjugation models are less explored.
• RNA's therapeutic potential is high, but its instability poses challenges for nanodevice construction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing and emerging methods for conjugating RNA with gold nanoparticles.
• To identify conjugation strategies applicable to RNA from those developed for DNA.
• To highlight limitations of current RNA-AuNP conjugation techniques and suggest future directions.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on DNA-gold nanoparticle conjugation strategies.
• Analysis of recently developed methods like microwave and freezing techniques.
• Evaluation of conjugation pathways for their applicability to RNA.

Main Results:

• Numerous strategies exist for DNA-AuNP conjugation, but few are applied to RNA.
• Salt-aging with thiolated RNA and physisorption are common RNA-AuNP methods.
• These common methods have limitations, including Au-S bond instability and polycation cytotoxicity.

Conclusions:

• Current RNA-AuNP conjugation methods are insufficient for effective nanodevice development.
• There is a critical need for novel chemical approaches to create stable and versatile AuNP-RNA conjugates.
• Further research into innovative conjugation chemistries is essential for advancing RNA-based nanomedicine.