The corona of protein-gold nanoparticle systems: the role of ionic strength

Direct comparison of different protocols to obtain surface enhanced Raman spectra of human serum

Label-free Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a rapid technique that has been extensively applied in clinical diagnosis and biomedicine for the analysis of biofluids. The purpose of this approach relies on the ability to detect specific "metabolic fingerprints" of complex biological samples, but the full potential of this technique in diagnostics is yet to be exploited, mainly because of the lack of common analytical protocols for sample preparation and analysis. Variation of experimental parameters, such as substrate type, laser wavelength and sample processing can greatly influence spectral patterns, making results from different research groups difficult to compare. This study aims at making a step toward a standardization of the protocols in the analysis of human serum samples with Ag nanoparticles, by directly comparing the SERS spectra obtained from five different methods in which parameters like laser power, nanoparticle concentration, incubation/deproteinization steps and type of substrate used vary. Two protocols are the most used in the literature, and the other three are "in-house" protocols proposed by our group; all of them are employed to analyze the same human serum sample. The experimental results show that all protocols yield spectra that share the same overall spectral pattern, conveying the same biochemical information, but they significantly differ in terms of overall spectral intensity, repeatability, and preparation steps of the sample. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed revealing that protocol 3 and protocol 1 have the least variability in the dataset, while protocol 2 and 4 are the least repeatable.

Impact of calcium ions at physiological concentrations on the adsorption behavior of proteins on silica nanoparticles

The adsorption of proteins on nanoparticles (NPs) largely decides the fate and bioeffects of NPs in vivo. However, bio-fluids are too complicated to directly study in them to reveal related mechanisms, and current studies on model systems often ignore some important biological factors, such as metal ions. Herein, we evaluate the effect of Ca2+ at physiological concentrations on the protein adsorption on negatively-charged silica NP (SNP50). It is found that Ca2+, as well as Mg2+ and several transition metal ions, significantly enhances the adsorption of negatively-charged proteins on SNP50. Moreover, the Ca2+-induced enhancement of protein adsorption leads to the reduced uptake of SNP50 by HeLa cells. A double-chelating mechanism is proposed for the enhanced adsorption of negatively-charged proteins by multivalent metal ions that can form 6 (or more) coordinate bonds, where the metal ions are chelated by both the surface groups of NPs and the surface residues of the adsorbed proteins. This mechanism is consistent with all experimental evidences from metal ions-induced changes of physicochemical properties of NPs to protein adsorption isotherms, and is validated with several model proteins as well as complicated serum. The findings highlight the importance of investigating the influences of physiological factors on the interaction between proteins and NPs.

Nanoparticle protein corona: from structure and function to therapeutic targeting

Nanoparticle (NP)-based therapeutics have ushered in a new era in translational medicine. However, despite the clinical success of NP technology, it is not well-understood how NPs fundamentally change in biological environments. When introduced into physiological fluids, NPs are coated by proteins, forming a protein corona (PC). The PC has the potential to endow NPs with a new identity and alter their bioactivity, stability, and destination. Additionally, the conformation of proteins is sensitive to their physical and chemical surroundings. Therefore, biological factors and protein-NP-interactions can induce changes in the conformation and orientation of proteins in vivo. Since the function of a protein is closely connected to its folded structure, slight differences in the surrounding environment as well as the surface characteristics of the NP materials may cause proteins to lose or gain a function. As a result, this can alter the downstream functionality of the NPs. This review introduces the main biological factors affecting the conformation of proteins associated with the PC. Then, four types of NPs with extensive utility in biomedical applications are described in greater detail, focusing on the conformation and orientation of adsorbed proteins. This is followed by a discussion on the instances in which the conformation of adsorbed proteins can be leveraged for therapeutic purposes, such as controlling protein conformation in assembled matrices in tissue, as well as controlling the PC conformation for modulating immune responses. The review concludes with a perspective on the remaining challenges and unexplored areas at the interface of PC and NP research.

Mechanistic Insights into the Biological Effects of Engineered Nanomaterials: A Focus on Gold Nanoparticles

Nanotechnology has great potential to significantly advance the biomedical field for the benefit of human health. However, the limited understanding of nano-bio interactions leading to unknowns about the potential adverse health effects of engineered nanomaterials and to the poor efficacy of nanomedicines has hindered their use and commercialization. This is well evidenced considering gold nanoparticles, one of the most promising nanomaterials for biomedical applications. Thus, a fundamental understanding of nano-bio interactions is of interest to nanotoxicology and nanomedicine, enabling the development of safe-by-design nanomaterials and improving the efficacy of nanomedicines. In this review, we introduce the advanced approaches currently applied in nano-bio interaction studies-omics and systems toxicology-to provide insights into the biological effects of nanomaterials at the molecular level. We highlight the use of omics and systems toxicology studies focusing on the assessment of the mechanisms underlying the in vitro biological responses to gold nanoparticles. First, the great potential of gold-based nanoplatforms to improve healthcare along with the main challenges for their clinical translation are presented. We then discuss the current limitations in the translation of omics data to support risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials.

The effects of protein corona on in vivo fate of nanocarriers

With the emerging advances in utilizing nanocarriers for biomedical applications, a molecular-level understanding of the in vivo fate of nanocarriers is necessary. After administration into human fluids, nanocarriers can attract proteins onto their surfaces, forming an assembled adsorption layer called protein corona (PC). The formed PC can influence the physicochemical properties and subsequently determine nanocarriers' biological behaviors. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the features and effects of the PC on the nanocarriers' surface is the first and most important step towards controlling their in vivo fate. This review introduces fundamental knowledge such as the definition, formation, composition, conformation, and characterization of the PC, emphasizing the in vivo environmental factors that control the PC formation. The effect of PC on the physicochemical properties and thus biological behaviors of nanocarriers was then presented and thoroughly discussed. Finally, we proposed the design strategies available for engineering PC onto nanocarriers to manipulate them with the desired surface properties and achieve the best biomedical outcomes.