BOC Sciences offers a wide range of cationic lipid nanoparticle (CLNP) products and customized services to meet diverse research and application requirements. Below is a list of our available products. If you have specific needs beyond these, please get in touch with us for a tailored synthesis of your desired cationic lipid nanoparticles.
| Category Type | Product Category | Price |
| By Core Lipid Type | Ionizable Cationic LNPs | Inquiry |
| Permanent Cationic LNPs | Inquiry | |
| Multivalent Cationic LNPs | Inquiry | |
| By Cargo Type | mRNA-Loaded CLNPs | Inquiry |
| siRNA-Loaded CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| pDNA-Loaded CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| miRNA-Loaded CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| ASO-Loaded CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| By Target | Liver-Targeted CLNPs | Inquiry |
| Brain-Targeted CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| Lung-Targeted CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| Fat Tissue-Targeted CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| Muscle-Targeted CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| Heart-Targeted CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| By Application | Vaccine Delivery CLNPs | Inquiry |
| Gene Therapy CLNPs | Inquiry | |
| Anti-Tumor CLNPs | Inquiry |
Product Specifications
Storage and Handling
CLNPs are a type of nucleic acid delivery system that utilizes positively charged cationic lipids as key components. These lipids interact with negatively charged nucleic acid molecules (such as mRNA, siRNA, plasmid DNA, etc.) through electrostatic interactions to form stable complexes.
Structure: CLNPs are typically spherical, with a core consisting of the encapsulated nucleic acid surrounded by a layer of lipid molecules. This structure provides physical protection for the nucleic acid, preventing its degradation by nucleases in the biological environment.
Cationic Lipids: These are the core functional components of CLNPs. They usually contain protonatable amine groups or quaternary ammonium structures, causing them to carry a positive charge at physiological or endosomal. This charge is crucial for binding the nucleic acid, facilitating cellular uptake, and enabling endosomal escape.
Formation Mechanism: Nucleic acids and cationic lipids self-assemble under specific conditions (such as gradient, specific lipid ratios, and mixing methods) to form uniformly dispersed nanoscale particles. Particle sizes typically range from 20 nanometers to 200 nanometers, which is critical for in vivo distribution and cellular uptake.
Delivery Function: The primary role of CLNPs is to protect the nucleic acid, enhance the efficiency of cellular uptake, and promote the effective release of the nucleic acid within the cell (i.e., endosomal escape), thereby achieving intracellular gene or drug delivery.
Fig.1 Cationic lipid nanoparticles structure1,2.
Lipids are widely used as fundamental components of biological membranes and as drug delivery vehicles. Cationic lipids, as a special class of lipids, fundamentally differ from neutral and anionic lipids in both structure and function.
Table 1. Comparison of Cationic, Neutral, and Anionic Lipids in Nanoparticle Delivery Systems.
| Characteristic | Cationic Lipids | Neutral Lipids | Anionic Lipids |
| Head Group Charge | Positive charge (or can become positively charged at specific pH) | Zero charge | Negative charge |
| Representative Groups | Amine, Quaternary Ammonium | Phosphatidylcholine (PC), Cholesterol (Chol) | Phosphatidylserine (PS), Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) |
| Interaction with Nucleic Acids | Strong electrostatic attraction (forms complexes) | Almost no direct electrostatic attraction | Electrostatic repulsion |
| Role in LNP | Active component used for binding nucleic acids and promoting cellular escape | Structural stabilizer, providing membrane integrity | Less used in nucleic acid delivery LNP; primarily used to regulate membrane fusion or specific targeting |
| Biological Application | Primarily used for nucleic acid delivery (e.g., mRNA vaccines) | Used as helper lipids, providing structural support and membrane fusion characteristics | Primarily serves as a biological membrane component or in specific liposome formulations |
The core distinction lies in the nature of the charge:
Cationic lipid nanoparticles adopt a typical core-shell structural design, which is critical for nucleic acid protection and efficient delivery.
Core: The core constitutes the functional center of CLNPs. It is primarily formed by strong electrostatic interactions between negatively charged nucleic acids (such as mRNA or siRNA) and positively charged cationic (or ionizable) lipids. This interaction generates an ionic complex that physically encapsulates and protects nucleic acids, effectively preventing rapid degradation by nucleases in complex biological environments. The core material is usually highly concentrated, forming an amorphous or liquid-crystalline phase complex.
Shell: Surrounding the core, the shell is mainly composed of helper lipids. These include neutral phospholipids (e.g., DSPC), cholesterol, and polyethylene glycol-conjugated lipids (PEG-lipids). Neutral lipids and cholesterol provide structural support and membrane stability, helping form a stable lipid bilayer or non-bilayer structures and maintaining particle integrity. PEG-lipids are typically surface-modified, creating a hydrated protective layer that significantly reduces particle binding to plasma proteins (minimizing opsonization), thereby extending CLNP circulation time in vivo.
The macroscopic physicochemical properties of CLNPs, particularly particle size and surface charge, directly determine their in vivo behavior and cellular delivery efficiency.
Size: Ideal CLNP particle size is generally controlled between 50 nm and 150 nm. This range is optimized: particles smaller than 50 nm may be rapidly cleared by the kidneys, while particles larger than 200 nm may be quickly taken up by the reticuloendothelial system (RES, e.g., macrophages in the liver and spleen). An intermediate size facilitates passive targeting and efficient cellular endocytosis, with a specific range (e.g., 50–100 nm) considered optimal for maximal cellular uptake.
Surface Charge: Surface charge is typically measured by zeta potential. To maintain good stability and circulation time, CLNPs are usually designed to be near-neutral or weakly negative (approximately 0 mV to −20 mV) at physiological blood pH (~7.4). This is achieved through PEG-lipid modification, which effectively shields the positive charge of the internal cationic lipids. However, the core cationic lipids are often ionizable (pKa near physiological pH), allowing charge conversion: in acidic endosomal environments (pH 5.0–6.5), cationic lipids become protonated and carry significant positive charges, which is critical for triggering endosomal membrane disruption and subsequent nucleic acid release.
Stability: Stability encompasses both physical and chemical aspects. Physical stability refers to the ability of particles to maintain size and structural integrity during storage, dilution, and circulation, avoiding aggregation or disassembly. Chemical stability relates to the degradation rate of lipid and nucleic acid components under specific storage conditions. Optimizing lipid composition and precisely controlling the manufacturing process are key to ensuring long-term CLNP stability.
The efficient delivery capability of CLNPs originates from the finely balanced and functionally optimized molecular components, with each component playing an indispensable role.
Cationic/Ionizable Lipids: These are the active components, typically comprising 30% to 50% (molar ratio). Their primary function is nucleic acid binding and endosomal escape. Ionizable lipids are the mainstream choice in modern CLNPs, with pKa values carefully designed between 6.2 and 6.8 to ensure efficient charge conversion.
Neutral Phospholipids: Comprising about 10% to 30%, they provide structural support, influence lipid membrane phase transition temperature and rigidity, and help form stable bilayer or non-bilayer structures.
Cholesterol: Usually present at 30% to 50%, cholesterol stabilizes the membrane, regulates fluidity, and indirectly facilitates endosomal escape by densifying the membrane.
PEG-Lipids: Typically 1% to 5%, PEG-lipids provide spatial stabilization, prolong circulation time, and influence surface charge. PEG chain length and linkage (e.g., cleavable PEG) are key design considerations, balancing particle stability with intracellular PEG removal.
Optimization of N/P Ratio: The nitrogen-to-phosphate molar ratio (N/P ratio) is a core parameter. Nitrogen originates from the amine groups of cationic lipids, and phosphate comes from the nucleic acid backbone. Adjusting the N/P ratio (usually greater than 1.5) ensures effective nucleic acid encapsulation and charge neutralization while minimizing potential cytotoxicity from free cationic lipids.
CLNPs have core advantages in nucleic acid delivery, namely high loading capacity and excellent delivery efficiency.
High Loading Efficiency: The formation of CLNPs relies on strong electrostatic attraction between positively charged cationic lipids and negatively charged nucleic acids (e.g., mRNA). This inherent electrostatic mechanism allows stable nanocomplexes to form even at high nucleic acid loading ratios. By optimizing the N/P ratio (nitrogen-to-phosphate molar ratio), nearly all nucleic acid molecules can be effectively encapsulated within the particle core, maximizing the utilization of the payload.
Excellent Delivery Efficiency:
Interactions between CLNPs and cell membranes or subcellular compartments (e.g., endosomal membranes) are fundamental to their delivery function.
Facilitated Cellular Uptake: Although CLNPs are near-neutral on the surface during physiological circulation, their intrinsic cationic lipid properties allow non-specific interactions with negatively charged cell membrane surfaces (primarily due to the glycocalyx and phosphatidylserine). This affinity promotes particle adsorption and accumulation on the cell membrane, enhancing endocytic uptake.
Enhanced Endosomal Membrane Disruption: Cationic or ionizable lipids are key to endosomal escape. In the low pH endosomal environment, these lipids become protonated and positively charged, triggering:
The CLNP platform is highly customizable and modular, making it attractive for research and product development.
Modular Component Adjustment: CLNPs are composed of four core lipid components (cationic lipid, neutral lipid, cholesterol, PEG-lipid). Researchers can systematically optimize physical-chemical properties (e.g., particle size, surface charge, pKa, stability) and biological functions (e.g., targeting, endosomal escape) by adjusting molar ratios or substituting lipids with different chemical structures.
Nucleic Acid Loading Versatility: CLNPs are not limited to mRNA delivery; their electrostatic binding principle allows efficient loading of various negatively charged nucleic acids, including siRNA, miRNA, ASO, and plasmid DNA.
Standardized Preparation Process: Although the preparation process is complex, microfluidics-based CLNP fabrication has been standardized with high reproducibility, making laboratory-scale particle production efficient, rapid, and capable of precise control over size and uniformity.
CLNPs are among the most widely used and studied delivery systems in gene and nucleic acid therapy.
mRNA Delivery: Currently the primary research focus. CLNPs can safely and efficiently deliver mRNA to the cytoplasm, guiding cells to synthesize target proteins for protein replacement therapy, gene editing tools, and novel in vitro transfection reagents.
siRNA and miRNA Delivery: Small interfering RNAs (siRNA) and microRNAs (miRNA) are used for gene silencing. CLNPs encapsulate these molecules, enabling them to function within the cellular RISC complex, specifically knocking down target gene expression—a common tool in basic research.
Plasmid DNA Delivery: CLNPs can also encapsulate larger plasmid DNA for stable or transient gene expression.
Beyond nucleic acids, CLNPs are applied to encapsulate and deliver other bioactive molecules.
Conventional Chemotherapeutics: Leveraging the liposomal structure, CLNPs can encapsulate hydrophobic or hydrophilic small-molecule drugs, especially chemotherapeutics, improving solubility, pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and reducing systemic toxicity.
Combined Delivery Systems: CLNPs can be designed for co-delivery, simultaneously encapsulating nucleic acids (e.g., gene regulators) and small-molecule drugs (e.g., chemotherapeutics) for synergistic therapeutic effects.
Peptides and Proteins: Through surface modification or specialized lipid design, CLNPs are being explored for peptide or functional protein (e.g., enzyme) delivery, though this application is more complex and requires overcoming protein stability challenges.
As a mature and efficient nanocarrier, CLNPs are an important tool in cell biology and nanomedicine research.
In Vitro Transfection Reagents: In basic cell biology, CLNPs and derivatives are widely used as efficient, low-toxicity in vitro nucleic acid transfection reagents for studying gene function and signaling pathways in cultured cells.
Carrier Design Tool: Researchers use the CLNP platform to study the effects of lipid chemical structures on biological function, such as the influence of new ionizable lipid pKa, hydrophobic chain length, and headgroup structure on endosomal escape efficiency.
Biosafety Studies: CLNP research also focuses on nanoparticle interactions with biological systems, including cytotoxicity, immunogenicity, and in vivo degradation and metabolism, providing data to support the development of safer next-generation nanodelivery systems.
Ability to deliver structurally stable, batch-consistent cationic lipids supported by scalable production infrastructure to ensure reliable performance and uninterrupted supply.
Well-established quality control systems with end-to-end data traceability, ensuring product purity, physicochemical consistency, and dependable functional attributes.
Capability to provide formulation guidance, process recommendations, and application-level collaboration that accelerates customer development timelines and enhances downstream performance.
Support for diverse needs such as small-scale samples, tailored lipid structures, and batch expansion, backed by responsive supply chain management to shorten project cycles and enhance operational efficiency.
Cationic lipids interact electrostatically with negatively charged nucleic acids to form stable complexes. These complexes adsorb to the cell membrane and enter cells via endocytic pathways, enabling efficient intracellular delivery while maintaining nucleic acid integrity.
Compared with conventional vectors, cationic lipid nanoparticles feature low immunogenic risk, controllable process design, scalable production, and broad compatibility with diverse nucleic acid modalities such as mRNA, siRNA, and plasmid DNA.
Transfection performance varies with cell type, lipid composition, particle size, and surface features. Cells with higher endocytic activity show stronger uptake, while refined lipid ratios and surface engineering extend applicability to demanding primary cells and stem cells.
Stability is influenced by lipid matrix selection, particle size uniformity, and surface charge. For extended storage, low-temperature conditions and minimized freeze–thaw cycles are recommended. Lyophilized formats or optimized buffer systems further support structural integrity.
Key risk points include cytotoxicity and potential immune stimulation. Through structural optimization, dose control, and targeted surface design, the platform can sustain high delivery efficiency with minimized cellular burden, supporting safe deployment in research and industrial applications.
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