Virus-like Particles as Nanocarriers for Intracellular Delivery of Biomolecules and Compounds

Abstract

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are nanostructures assemble from viral proteins. Besides widely used for vaccine development, VLPs have also been explored as nanocarriers for cargo delivery as they combine the key advantages of viral and non-viral vectors. While it protects cargo molecules from degradation, the VLP has good cell penetrating property to mediate cargo passing the cell membrane and released into cells, making the VLP an ideal tool for intracellular delivery of biomolecules and drugs. Great progresses have been achieved and multiple challenges are still on the way for broad applications of VLP as delivery vectors. Here we summarize current advances and applications in VLP as a delivery vector. Progresses on delivery of different types of biomolecules as well as drugs by VLPs are introduced, and the strategies for cargo packaging are highlighted which is one of the key steps for VLP mediated intracellular delivery. Production and applications of VLPs are also briefly reviewed, with a discussion on future challenges in this rapidly developing field.

Keywords: cargo loading strategies; delivery vehicles; intracellular delivery; nanocarrier; virus-like particles.

Figure 1

Methods for intracellular delivery. Physical methods such as electroporation and microinjection, chemical methods such as liposome, nanoparticles, etc., and virus-based methods like infectious viral vectors and VLPs, are the major categories of intracellular delivery methods.

Figure 2

The strategies for cargos loading VLPs. (A) The strategy of foreign protein fusion. (B) De novo packaging of nucleic acids. (C) Osmotic shock. (D) Electrostatic adsorption. (E) Disassembly and reassembly. (F) Chemical linking. (G) Physical interaction between VLP and cargo.