Calcium carbonate/CaIP6 nanocomposite particles as gene delivery vehicles for human vascular smooth muscle cells

Gene therapy provides great opportunities for treating diseases from genetic disorders to immune system diseases and cancer. Much work has focused on bioactive macromolecules and nanoparticles, which can interact with low-molecular-mass drugs or DNA molecules to form complexes, and have been used for local delivery of therapeutic factors for tissue regeneration or gene therapy. In this study, inorganic amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) hybrid nanospheres functionalized with a small amount of Ca(II)-IP6 compound (CaIP6) were prepared on a large scale by a facile gas-diffusion method. The results of in vitro transfection experiments show that the obtained functional calcium carbonate/phosphate nanocomposite particles had higher transfection efficiency and lower cytotoxicity level than commercial Lipofectamine 2000. From these results alternative new vectors for gene delivery could be developed. In addition, functionalized inorganic nanocomposite particles are biocompatible and biodegradable, thus the as-prepared hybrid nanospheres are promising for biomedical applications as a safe biomaterial.