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Somarathne RP, Misra SK, Kariyawasam CS, Kessl JJ, Sharp JS, Fitzkee NC. Exploring Residue-Level Interactions between the Biofilm-Driving R2ab Protein and Polystyrene Nanoparticles. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:1213-1222. [PMID: 38174900 PMCID: PMC10843815 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
In biological systems, proteins can bind to nanoparticles to form a "corona" of adsorbed molecules. The nanoparticle corona is of significant interest because it impacts an organism's response to a nanomaterial. Understanding the corona requires knowledge of protein structure, orientation, and dynamics at the surface. A residue-level mapping of protein behavior on nanoparticle surfaces is needed, but this mapping is difficult to obtain with traditional approaches. Here, we have investigated the interaction between R2ab and polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) at the level of individual residues. R2ab is a bacterial surface protein from Staphylococcus epidermidis and is known to interact strongly with polystyrene, leading to biofilm formation. We have used mass spectrometry after lysine methylation and hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) NMR spectroscopy to understand how the R2ab protein interacts with PSNPs of different sizes. Lysine methylation experiments reveal subtle but statistically significant changes in methylation patterns in the presence of PSNPs, indicating altered protein surface accessibility. HDX rates become slower overall in the presence of PSNPs. However, some regions of the R2ab protein exhibit faster than average exchange rates in the presence of PSNPs, while others are slower than the average behavior, suggesting conformational changes upon binding. HDX rates and methylation ratios support a recently proposed "adsorbotope" model for PSNPs, wherein adsorbed proteins consist of unfolded anchor points interspersed with partially structured regions. Our data also highlight the challenges of characterizing complex protein-nanoparticle interactions using these techniques, such as fast exchange rates. While providing insights into how R2ab adsorbs onto PSNP surfaces, this research emphasizes the need for advanced methods to comprehend residue-level interactions in the nanoparticle corona.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radha P Somarathne
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, United States
| | - Sandeep K Misra
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677, United States
| | - Chathuri S Kariyawasam
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, United States
| | - Jacques J Kessl
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39406, United States
| | - Joshua S Sharp
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi 38677, United States
| | - Nicholas C Fitzkee
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, United States
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Somarathne RP, Misra SK, Kariyawasam CS, Kessl JJ, Sharp JS, Fitzkee NC. Exploring the Residue-Level Interactions between the R2ab Protein and Polystyrene Nanoparticles. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.28.554951. [PMID: 37693402 PMCID: PMC10491123 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.28.554951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
In biological systems, proteins can bind to nanoparticles to form a "corona" of adsorbed molecules. The nanoparticle corona is of high interest because it impacts the organism's response to the nanomaterial. Understanding the corona requires knowledge of protein structure, orientation, and dynamics at the surface. Ultimately, a residue-level mapping of protein behavior on nanoparticle surfaces is needed, but this mapping is difficult to obtain with traditional approaches. Here, we have investigated the interaction between R2ab and polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) at the level of individual residues. R2ab is a bacterial surface protein from Staphylococcus epidermidis and is known to interact strongly with polystyrene, leading to biofilm formation. We have used mass spectrometry after lysine methylation and hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) NMR spectroscopy to understand how the R2ab protein interacts with PSNPs of different sizes. Through lysine methylation, we observe subtle but statistically significant changes in methylation patterns in the presence of PSNPs, indicating altered protein surface accessibility. HDX measurements reveal that certain regions of the R2ab protein undergo faster exchange rates in the presence of PSNPs, suggesting conformational changes upon binding. Both results support a recently proposed "adsorbotope" model, wherein adsorbed proteins consist of unfolded anchor points interspersed with regions of partial structure. Our data also highlight the challenges of characterizing complex protein-nanoparticle interactions using these techniques, such as fast exchange rates. While providing insights into how proteins respond to nanoparticle surfaces, this research emphasizes the need for advanced methods to comprehend these intricate interactions fully at the residue level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radha P. Somarathne
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762
| | - Sandeep K. Misra
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677
| | | | - Jacques J. Kessl
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406
| | - Joshua S. Sharp
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677
| | - Nicholas C. Fitzkee
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762
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Jasinski J, Wilde MV, Voelkl M, Jérôme V, Fröhlich T, Freitag R, Scheibel T. Tailor-Made Protein Corona Formation on Polystyrene Microparticles and its Effect on Epithelial Cell Uptake. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:47277-47287. [PMID: 36194482 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c13987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic particles are pollutants in the environment with a potential impact on ecology and human health. As soon as microplastic particles get in contact with complex (biological) environments, they will be covered by an eco- and/or protein corona. In this contribution, protein corona formation was conducted under defined laboratory conditions on polystyrene (PS) microparticles to investigate the influence on surface properties, protein corona evolution, particle-cell interactions, and uptake in two murine epithelial cells. To direct protein corona formation, PS particles were preincubated with five model proteins, namely, bovine serum albumin (BSA), myoglobin, β-lactoglobulin, lysozyme, and fibrinogen. Subsequently, the single-protein-coated particles were incubated in a cell culture medium containing a cocktail of serum proteins to analyze changes in the protein corona profile as well as in the binding kinetics of the model proteins. Therein, we could show that the precoating step has a critical impact on the final composition of the protein corona. Yet, since proteins building the primary corona were still detectable after additional incubations in a protein-containing medium, backtracking of the particle's history is possible. Interestingly, whereas the precoating history significantly disturbs particle-cell interactions (PCIs), the cellular response (i.e., metabolic activity, MTT assay) stays unaffected. Of note, lysozyme precoating revealed one of the highest rates in PCI for both epithelial cell lines. Taken together, we could show that particle history has a significant impact on protein corona formation and subsequently on the interaction of particles with murine intestinal epithelial-like cells. However, as this study was limited to one cell type, further work is needed to assess if these observations can be generalized to other cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Jasinski
- Biomaterials, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Magdalena V Wilde
- Gene Center Munich, Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), LMU München, D-81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Voelkl
- Process Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Valérie Jérôme
- Process Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Thomas Fröhlich
- Gene Center Munich, Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), LMU München, D-81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Ruth Freitag
- Process Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Thomas Scheibel
- Biomaterials, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Bayreuth Center for Colloids and Interfaces (BZKG), University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Bayreuth Center for Molecular Biosciences (BZMB), University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Bayreuth Center for Material Science (BayMAT), University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
- Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI), University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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Woo H, Kang SH, Kwon Y, Choi Y, Kim J, Ha DH, Tanaka M, Okochi M, Kim JS, Kim HK, Choi J. Sensitive and specific capture of polystyrene and polypropylene microplastics using engineered peptide biosensors. RSC Adv 2022; 12:7680-7688. [PMID: 35424716 PMCID: PMC8982333 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra08701k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Owing to increased environmental pollution, active research regarding microplastics circulating in the ocean has attracted significant interest in recent times. Microplastics accumulate in the bodies of living organisms and adversely affect them. In this study, a new method for the rapid detection of microplastics using peptides was proposed. Among the various types of plastics distributed in the ocean, polystyrene and polypropylene were selected. The binding affinity of the hydrophobic peptides suitable for each type of plastic was evaluated. The binding affinities of peptides were confirmed in unoxidized plastics and plasma-oxidized plastics in deionised or 3.5% saline water. Also, the detection of microplastics in small animals' intestine extracts were possible with the reported peptide biosensors. We expect plastic-binding peptides to be used in sensors to increase the detection efficiency of microplastics and potentially help separate microplastics from seawater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunjeong Woo
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University Seoul 06974 Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Hyun Kang
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chung-Ang University Hospital Seoul 06973 Republic of Korea
| | - Yejin Kwon
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University Seoul 06974 Republic of Korea
| | - Yonghyun Choi
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University Seoul 06974 Republic of Korea
| | - Jiwon Kim
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University Seoul 06974 Republic of Korea
| | - Don-Hyung Ha
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University Seoul 06974 Republic of Korea
| | - Masayoshi Tanaka
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology 2-12-1-S1-24, O-okayama, Meguro-ku Tokyo 152-8552 Japan
| | - Mina Okochi
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology 2-12-1-S1-24, O-okayama, Meguro-ku Tokyo 152-8552 Japan
| | - Jin Su Kim
- Division of RI Application, Korea Institute Radiological and Medical Sciences Seoul 01812 Republic of Korea
- Radiological and Medico-Oncological Sciences, University of Science and Technology (UST) Seoul 01812 Republic of Korea
| | - Han Koo Kim
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chung-Ang University Hospital Seoul 06973 Republic of Korea
| | - Jonghoon Choi
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University Seoul 06974 Republic of Korea
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Ventouri IK, Loeber S, Somsen GW, Schoenmakers PJ, Astefanei A. Field-flow fractionation for molecular-interaction studies of labile and complex systems: A critical review. Anal Chim Acta 2022; 1193:339396. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2021.339396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Plavchak CL, Smith WC, Bria CRM, Williams SKR. New Advances and Applications in Field-Flow Fractionation. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (PALO ALTO, CALIF.) 2021; 14:257-279. [PMID: 33770457 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anchem-091520-052742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Field-flow fractionation (FFF) is a family of techniques that was created especially for separating and characterizing macromolecules, nanoparticles, and micrometer-sized analytes. It is coming of age as new nanomaterials, polymers, composites, and biohybrids with remarkable properties are introduced and new analytical challenges arise due to synthesis heterogeneities and the motivation to correlate analyte properties with observed performance. Appreciation of the complexity of biological, pharmaceutical, and food systems and the need to monitor multiple components across many size scales have also contributed to FFF's growth. This review highlights recent advances in FFF capabilities, instrumentation, and applications that feature the unique characteristics of different FFF techniques in determining a variety of information, such as averages and distributions in size, composition, shape, architecture, and microstructure and in investigating transformations and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine L Plavchak
- Laboratory for Advanced Separation Technologies, Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA;
| | - William C Smith
- Laboratory for Advanced Separation Technologies, Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA;
| | | | - S Kim Ratanathanawongs Williams
- Laboratory for Advanced Separation Technologies, Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA;
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Somarathne RP, Chappell ER, Perera YR, Yadav R, Park JY, Fitzkee NC. Understanding How Staphylococcal Autolysin Domains Interact With Polystyrene Surfaces. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:658373. [PMID: 34093472 PMCID: PMC8170090 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.658373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Biofilms, when formed on medical devices, can cause malfunctions and reduce the efficiency of these devices, thus complicating treatments and serving as a source of infection. The autolysin protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis contributes to its biofilm forming ability, especially on polystyrene surfaces. R2ab and amidase are autolysin protein domains thought to have high affinity to polystyrene surfaces, and they are involved in initial bacterial attachment in S. epidermidis biofilm formation. However, the structural details of R2ab and amidase binding to surfaces are poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated how R2ab and amidase influence biofilm formation on polystyrene surfaces. We have also studied how these proteins interact with polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) using biophysical techniques. Pretreating polystyrene plates with R2ab and amidase domains inhibits biofilm growth relative to a control protein, indicating that these domains bind tightly to polystyrene surfaces and can block bacterial attachment. Correspondingly, we find that both domains interact strongly with anionic, carboxylate-functionalized as well as neutral, non-functionalized PSNPs, suggesting a similar binding interaction for nanoparticles and macroscopic surfaces. Both anionic and neutral PSNPs induce changes to the secondary structure of both R2ab and amidase as monitored by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. These changes are very similar, though not identical, for both types of PSNPs, suggesting that carboxylate functionalization is only a small perturbation for R2ab and amidase binding. This structural change is also seen in limited proteolysis experiments, which exhibit substantial differences for both proteins when in the presence of carboxylate PSNPs. Overall, our results demonstrate that the R2ab and amidase domains strongly favor adsorption to polystyrene surfaces, and that surface adsorption destabilizes the secondary structure of these domains. Bacterial attachment to polystyrene surfaces during the initial phases of biofilm formation, therefore, may be mediated by aromatic residues, since these residues are known to drive adsorption to PSNPs. Together, these experiments can be used to develop new strategies for biofilm eradication, ensuring the proper long-lived functioning of medical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radha P. Somarathne
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Emily R. Chappell
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Y. Randika Perera
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Rahul Yadav
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Joo Youn Park
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Nicholas C. Fitzkee
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
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Quattrini F, Berrecoso G, Crecente-Campo J, Alonso MJ. Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation as a multifunctional technique for the characterization of polymeric nanocarriers. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2021; 11:373-395. [PMID: 33521866 PMCID: PMC7987708 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-021-00918-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The importance of polymeric nanocarriers in the field of drug delivery is ever-increasing, and the accurate characterization of their properties is paramount to understand and predict their behavior. Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) is a fractionation technique that has gained considerable attention for its gentle separation conditions, broad working range, and versatility. AF4 can be hyphenated to a plurality of concentration and size detectors, thus permitting the analysis of the multifunctionality of nanomaterials. Despite this potential, the practical information that can be retrieved by AF4 and its possible applications are still rather unfamiliar to the pharmaceutical scientist. This review was conceived as a primer that clearly states the "do's and don'ts" about AF4 applied to the characterization of polymeric nanocarriers. Aside from size characterization, AF4 can be beneficial during formulation optimization, for drug loading and drug release determination and for the study of interactions among biomaterials. It will focus mainly on the advances made in the last 5 years, as well as indicating the problematics on the consensus, which have not been reached yet. Methodological recommendations for several case studies will be also included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Quattrini
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases, Singular Research Centers, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Germán Berrecoso
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases, Singular Research Centers, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), IDIS Research Institute, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - José Crecente-Campo
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases, Singular Research Centers, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), IDIS Research Institute, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - María José Alonso
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases, Singular Research Centers, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), IDIS Research Institute, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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Ashley BK, Sui J, Javanmard M, Hassan U. Functionalization of hybrid surface microparticles for in vitro cellular antigen classification. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:555-564. [PMID: 33156401 PMCID: PMC7855916 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-020-03026-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid material surfaces on microparticles are emerging as vehicles for many biomedical multiplexing applications. Functionalization of these hybrid surface microparticles to biomolecules presents unique challenges related to optimization of surface chemistries including uniformity, repeatability, and sample sparring. Hybrid interfaces between microlevel surfaces and individual biomolecules will provide different microenvironments impacting the surface functionalization optimization and efficiency. Here, we propose and validate the first demonstration of streptavidin adsorption-based antibody functionalization on unmodified, hybrid surface microparticles for in vitro analysis. We test this analytical technique and fabricate hybrid surface microparticles with a polystyrene core and aluminum oxide semi-coating. Additionally, we optimize the streptavidin-biotin functionalization chemistry in both assay implementation and sample sparring via analytical mass balances for these microparticles and subsequently conjugate anti-human CD11b antibodies. Result confirmation and characterization occurs from ultraviolet protein absorbance and ImageJ processing of fluorescence microscopy images. Additionally, we design and implement the multi-sectional imaging (MSI) approach to support functionalization uniformity on the hybrid surface microparticles. Finally, as a proof-of-concept performance, we validate anti-CD11b antibodies functionalization by visualizing hybrid surface microparticles conjugate to human neutrophils isolated from blood samples collected from potentially septic patients. Our study introduces and defines a category of functionalization for hybrid surface microparticles with the intent of minuscule sample volumes, low cost, and low environmental impact to be used for many cellular or proteomic in vitro multiplexing applications in the future. Graphical abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon K Ashley
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Jianye Sui
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Mehdi Javanmard
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Umer Hassan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
- Global Health Institute, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
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Fast and Purification-Free Characterization of Bio-Nanoparticles in Biological Media by Electrical Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation Hyphenated with Multi-Angle Light Scattering and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis Detection. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25204703. [PMID: 33066514 PMCID: PMC7587377 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25204703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate physico-chemical characterization of exosomes and liposomes in biological media is challenging due to the inherent complexity of the sample matrix. An appropriate purification step can significantly reduce matrix interferences, and thus facilitate analysis of such demanding samples. Electrical Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (EAF4) provides online sample purification while simultaneously enabling access to size and Zeta potential of sample constituents in the size range of approx. 1–1000 nm. Hyphenation of EAF4 with Multi-Angle Light Scattering (MALS) and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) detection adds high resolution size and number concentration information turning this setup into a powerful analytical platform for the comprehensive physico-chemical characterization of such challenging samples. We here present EAF4-MALS hyphenated with NTA for the analysis of liposomes and exosomes in complex, biological media. Coupling of the two systems was realized using a flow splitter to deliver the sample at an appropriate flow speed for the NTA measurement. After a proof-of-concept study using polystyrene nanoparticles, the combined setup was successfully applied to analyze liposomes and exosomes spiked into cell culture medium and rabbit serum, respectively. Obtained results highlight the benefits of the EAF4-MALS-NTA platform to study the behavior of these promising drug delivery vesicles under in vivo like conditions.
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