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Review
. 2021 Feb 2;13(2):206.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13020206.

Lipid Nanoparticles as Delivery Systems for RNA-Based Vaccines

Basmah N Aldosari  1 , Iman M Alfagih  1 , Alanood S Almurshedi  1
Affiliations
Review

Lipid Nanoparticles as Delivery Systems for RNA-Based Vaccines

Basmah N Aldosari et al. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

There has been increased interest in the development of RNA-based vaccines for protection against various infectious diseases and also for cancer immunotherapies. Rapid and cost-effective manufacturing methods in addition to potent immune responses observed in preclinical and clinical studies have made mRNA-based vaccines promising alternatives to conventional vaccine technologies. However, efficient delivery of these vaccines requires that the mRNA be protected against extracellular degradation. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been extensively studied as non-viral vectors for the delivery of mRNA to target cells because of their relatively easy and scalable manufacturing processes. This review highlights key advances in the development of LNPs and reviews the application of mRNA-based vaccines formulated in LNPs for use against infectious diseases and cancer.

Keywords: adjuvant; cancer immunotherapy; cationic lipids; delivery system; lipid nanoparticles; mRNA; nanotechnology; nucleic acid; vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Intracellular barriers for in vitro transcribed (IVT) mRNA delivery: (1) interaction between the delivery system and the cell membrane, (2) endocytosis, and (3) endosomal escape and release of the mRNA to start the translation process (reproduced from Gomez-Aguado et al. [23]).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Key lipid nanocarriers of mRNA: (A) liposome, lipoplex, and lipid nanoparticle; (B) nanostructured lipid carrier; (C) cationic nanoemulsion (reproduced and modified from Granot et al. [53]).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation of mRNA lipid nanoparticles (reproduced from Sempler et al. [61]). DOTMA: 1,2-di-O-octadecenyl-3-trimethylammonium propane; DOTAP: 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane; MC3: D-Lin-MC3-DMA; DSPC: 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; DPPC: 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; DSPE-PEG: 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-Poly(ethylene glycol; DMPE-PEG: 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine polyethylene glycol; DOPE: 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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