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In recent years, the interest regarding the use of proteins as renewable resources has deeply intensified. The strongest impact of these biomaterials is clear in the field of smart medicines and biomedical engineering. Zein, a vegetal protein extracted from corn, is a suitable biomaterial for all the above-mentioned purposes due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. The controlled drug delivery of small molecules, fabrication of bioactive membranes, and 3D assembly of scaffold for tissue regeneration are just some of the topics now being extensively investigated and reported in the literature. Herein, we review the recent literature on zein as a biopolymer and its applications in the biomedical world, focusing on the different shapes and sizes through which it can be manipulated.

Gene therapy based on small interfering RNA (siRNA) has emerged as an exciting new therapeutic approach. In this work, incorporation of PEI into poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLGA-b-PEG) particles has been shown to be quite effective in the development of corresponding gene delivery systems, and encapsulation of magnetic nanoparticles as an MRI contrast agent, resulted in unique theranostic nanoparticles.