Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) for gene delivery: A systematic review

Gene delivery as a biomedical technique consists of the use and manipulation of genetic material for delivery it into defective cells. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) has shown to be an efficient non-viral vector for gene delivery in combination with other materials. Therefore, the study presents a systematic review of scientific articles, published from 2004 to 2024, on the use of PVA associated with different materials as non-viral vectors applied to gene therapy. The articles were searched in different databases (Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed) from which 21 articles were selected and macro-and deep analyzed regarding their methodologies and the application of PVA blends in gene therapy. The results discuss the articles based on their applications and methodologies, regarding the use of different materials associated with PVA in gene delivery. There are four sections: Section 1: "Methodological Approaches", Section 2: "Applications in Gene Delivery", Section 3: "Disease-Specific Research" and Section 4: "Technological Innovations". It was observed an increase in the number of publications on the topic from 2011 onwards. In addition, a diversity of materials associated with PVA were observed such as hydroxyapatite, RALA, peptide dendrimers, protamine, dextran or hyaluronic acid, polylactic-co-glycolic acid, polyethyleneimine and cyclodextrin. In addition, it was noticed that PVA combined with different materials can enhance the transfection efficiency and improve the delivery of nucleic acids to different types of cells. Thus, this article provides both a review of recent research in the field and practical insights for the use of PVA technologies-based materials for gene therapy. By consolidating these findings, we hope to provide a clearer understanding of PVA's capabilities and inspire further innovations in gene delivery systems.