Pluronic® block copolymers:: novel functional molecules for gene therapy

Pluronic(R) block copolymers are recognized pharmaceutical excipients listed in the US and British Pharmacopoeia. They have been used extensively in a variety of pharmaceutical formulations including delivery of low molecular mass drugs and polypeptides. This review describes novel applications of Pluronic block copolymers in gene therapy. In particular, these molecules can modify the biological response during gene therapy in the skeletal muscle, resulting in an enhancement of the transgene expression as well as an enhancement of the therapeutic effect of the transgene. Furthermore, Pluronic(R) block copolymers are versatile molecules that can be used as structural elements of the polycation-based gene delivery systems (polyplexes). Based on these studies, the use of block copolymers in gene delivery is a promising area of research, in which new and important developments are expected. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B V All rights reserved.