# Intrinsic Structure of Lipoplexes Embedded in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers

## TL;DR

This study explores how lipoplexes maintain their structure when embedded in polyelectrolyte multilayers, which could help improve local nucleic acid delivery for therapies.

## Contribution

The study reveals how the internal structure of lipoplexes changes when embedded in polyelectrolyte multilayers using advanced X-ray techniques.

## Key findings

- The lamellar structure of lipoplexes is preserved after embedding in polyelectrolyte multilayers.
- The repeat distance of lipoplexes is affected by the embedding process in polysaccharide-based coatings.

## Abstract

The functionalization
of surfaces with therapeutically
applicable
nucleic acid carriers provides promising strategies in biomedical
research to develop therapies that focus on local nucleic acid delivery.
One such approach is the embedding of lipoplexes (LPXs) in polysaccharide-based
polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs). PEMs based on hyaluronic acid
and chitosan lead to efficient embedding of customized LPX connected
with good biological activity. However, although quantitative evaluation
demonstrates LPX embedding, information about detailed characteristics
of embedded LPXs has been missing. In this study, we used synchrotron-based
grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering to investigate the
effects of the change in the chemical environment caused by the embedding
into PEMs on the LPX’s internal mesoscopic structure. While
the lamellar character of the LPXs was preserved, the repeat distance
was affected by embedding into polysaccharide-based coatings.