Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Santa Catarina Mártir s/n, Cholula 72810, Puebla, Mexico.
Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología UNAM, Km 107 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada 22860, Baja California, Mexico.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Aug 2;23(15):8579. doi: 10.3390/ijms23158579.
Nanotechnology is a fast-evolving field focused on fabricating nanoscale objects for industrial, cosmetic, and therapeutic applications. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are self-assembled nanoparticles whose intrinsic properties, such as heterogeneity, and highly ordered structural organization are exploited to prepare vaccines; imaging agents; construct nanobioreactors; cancer treatment approaches; or deliver drugs, genes, and enzymes. However, depending upon the intrinsic features of the native virus from which they are produced, the therapeutic performance of VLPs can vary. This review compiles the recent scientific literature about the fundamentals of VLPs with biomedical applications. We consulted different databases to present a general scenario about viruses and how VLPs are produced in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell lines to entrap therapeutic cargo. Moreover, the structural classification, morphology, and methods to functionalize the surface of VLPs are discussed. Finally, different characterization techniques required to examine the size, charge, aggregation, and composition of VLPs are described.
纳米技术是一个快速发展的领域，专注于制造用于工业、化妆品和治疗应用的纳米级物体。病毒样颗粒 (VLP) 是自组装的纳米颗粒，其固有特性，如异质性和高度有序的结构组织，可用于制备疫苗；成像剂；构建纳米生物反应器；癌症治疗方法；或递药、基因和酶。然而，根据它们所产生的天然病毒的固有特性，VLP 的治疗性能可能会有所不同。本综述汇集了关于 VLP 与生物医学应用相关的基础的最新科学文献。我们查阅了不同的数据库，呈现了一个关于病毒的一般情况，以及 VLP 如何在真核和原核细胞系中产生以捕获治疗性货物。此外，还讨论了 VLP 的结构分类、形态和表面功能化方法。最后，还描述了检查 VLP 的大小、电荷、聚集和组成所需的不同表征技术。
