Soluble polyelectrolyte complexes of biopolymers

This review analyzes the papers reflecting the state of the art and achievements in the field of experimental investigations of solutions of polyelectrolyte complexes containing biopolymers, specifically oligomeric enzymes, cationic polysaccharide chitosan, or DNA. The analysis shows that the use of soluble complexes is promising for solving urgent practical problems. The development of methods for suppressing thermal aggregation of globular proteins without any substantial loss in functional activity, for imparting chitosan the ability to dissolve under physiological conditions and to form polyelectrolyte complexes, and for creating dual-action dendrimer carriers that can simultaneously deliver genetic material and drugs to cells are among the most significant directions.