Mohamed S Attia, Mariusz Skwarczynski, Waleed M Hussein
Drug Delivery Polyethyleneimine(PEI)-based nanoformulations offer efficient delivery at a cellular cost. Inside the endosome, PEI's protonatable amines trigger the proton sponge effect, rupturing the vesicle and releasing the therapeutic cargo into the cytosol. However, PEI's excess cationic charge can damage the plasma membrane and depolarize mitochondria, generating ROS and activating caspase-9-dependent apoptosis. More in article number e70330, Waleed M. Hussein and co-workers.