Study of the formation of mucin and albumin corona in gold nanoparticles

• Grant number: 19/13565-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2019
• End date: December 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biophysics - Molecular Biophysics
• Principal Investigator: Valtencir Zucolotto
• Grantee: Bruno de Oliveira Mendes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The protein corona has been shown to play a key role in a number of biological responses of nanostructured systems, both in vitro and in vivo. Mucin is the major constituent of mucus, a gel that covers all mucous membranes in the human body, such as the gastrointestinal tract. Nanoparticles administered orally for example, will inevitably encounter this protein before reaching the mucosa. Our hypothesis is that this contact between nanoparticles and mucin can lead to corona formation and, consequently, modify important biological responses such as intestinal absorption and internalization / transport by epithelial cells. This scientific initiation project aims to study the formation of mucin corona in gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) and to evaluate how this modification affects interaction with synthetic biomembranes. The two types of particles are studied in our research group for applications in photo-hyperthermia and drug delivery, respectively. The process of mucin corona formation will be evaluated on positively charged and negatively charged particles for both AuNPs and SiNPs. Size, Zeta Potential and Protein Association will be evaluated by DLS, electrophoretic mobility and BCA Method, respectively. The nanoparticle-mucin energy of interactions will be assessed by ITC. Finally, the interaction between nanoparticles containing or not mucin corona and membrane models composed by the synthetic lipids DPPC and DPPG will be evaluated by Langmuir thin films. (AU)