SPRI studies on the affinity between metallic nanoparticles and proteins from human serum

• Grant number: 16/14795-3
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): October 19, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal researcher: Dayane Batista Tada
• Grantee: Nivia Salles Santos
• Home Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia (ICT). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São José dos Campos. São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/20503-5 - Study of the interaction between nanoparticles and proteins by surface plasmon resonance imaging, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been increasingly used and researched in the fields of materials and health. One of the main fields of interest is nanomedicine. In this field approximately two thirds of the research is directed to the use of NPs in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer. Although the characteristics of NPs, such as size and zeta potential, are carefully planned in the development of NPs, since these nanomaterials are in the biological environment, they undergo changes that can compromise their therapeutic and toxic effects. NPs tend to adsorb biomolecules on their surface, creating a layer of proteins, for example. This phenomenon creates a biological identity that dictates the behavior of the nanoparticle and the answer it has in the biological environment. Understanding and predicting this response allows to better control the bio-nano interface and identify their possible toxicity. Thus, this project aims, through the SPRi technique, to analyze the possible interactions between blood serum proteins and gold, silver and gold-platinum NPs. The use of this technique allows to perform not only a qualitative analysis of this protein corona, but also a quantitative characterization of the strength and extent of these interactions. The way the presence of protein corona alter the interactions of the NPs with mimetic membrane will also be assessed. In the first scientific research project (FAPESP 2015/11281-6) the interactions between gold NPs and membranes of different compositions were studied and it was seen that gold NPs have greater affinity with phosphatidylcholine membranes and suffer aggregation on membranes containing cholesterol. Besides supplementing information about NP interactions with biological environment, the information obtained in this project will be of great importance to assess the toxicity of nanomaterials for health and the environment.