Nonviral Gene Delivery Methods in Cardiovascular Diseases

Nonviral gene delivery methods with naked plasmids and various plasmid carrier complexes have been used for intravascular, intramuscular and periadventitial gene delivery to cardiovascular system. Efficacy, homogenity and quality of the nonviral gene delivery complexes can be significantly affected by the way they are produced. This chapter presents basic methods to produce nonviral gene delivery complexes and describes common models to test their properties in cardiovascular applications in vivo.