Hydrodynamic delivery of DNA.

Hydrodynamic delivery is an efficient and inexpensive procedure to deliver a wide range of nucleic acids to hepatic tissues and other organs in vivo. The successful application of hydrodynamic delivery is dependent on the rapid injection of a large aqueous volume containing DNA, RNA or other molecules into the vasculature of the liver. In this review, the development of the procedures for hydrodynamic delivery will be described and the parameters necessary for attaining maximal gene expression will be highlighted. A review of the mechanisms for transfecting hepatocytes, as well as potential uses of this approach in various research and clinical applications, will also be discussed.