Gold nanoparticles decorated with oligo(ethylene glycol) thiols: surface charges and interactions with proteins in solution

The interaction mechanism between gold nanoparticles and proteins: Lysozyme, trypsin, pepsin, γ-globulin, and hemoglobin

In this study, the interaction between gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and proteins (including lysozyme, trypsin, pepsin, γ-globulin and hemoglobin) was investigated by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and protein activity assay. AuNPs was synthesized using reduction of HAuCl₄ with sodium citrate. The formation of AuNPs was confirmed from the characteristic surface plasmon resonance band at 521 nm and transmission electron microscopy revealed the average particle size was about 10 nm. The results reveal that AuNPs can interact with proteins to form a "protein corona (PC)", but the protein concentration required to form a relatively stable PC is not the same. The quenching mechanism of proteins by AuNPs is arisen from static quenching. The binding constants of AuNPs with proteins are in the range from 10⁶ to 10¹⁰ L mol^-1, and the order is pepsin > γ-globulin > hemoglobin > trypsin > lysozyme at 298 K. Van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds are the main forces for the lysozyme-AuNPs system. The interaction between trypsin/pepsin/γ-globulin/hemoglobin and AuNPs is mainly by hydrophobic interaction. The addition of AuNPs has an effect on the secondary structure of proteins as confirmed from CD spectra. The change in secondary structure of different proteins is different and seems to have little relation with the binding constant. The activity of lysozyme/trypsin/pepsin decreases with the addition of AuNPs.

A comparative study on the interaction of gold nanoparticles with trypsin and pepsin: thermodynamic perspectives

The study provides accurate and full basic data for clarifying the interaction mechanism of AuNPs with trypsin and pepsin.

Local Cross-Coupling Activity of Azide-Hexa(ethylene glycol)-Terminated Self-Assembled Monolayers Investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy

Azide-oligo(ethylene glycol)-terminated self-assembled monolayers (N₃-OEG-SAMs) are promising interfacial structures for surface functionalization. Its many potential applications include chemical/bio-sensing and construction of surface models owing to its cross-coupling activity that originates from the azide group and oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) units for non-specific adsorption resistance. However, there are only a few studies and limited information, particularly on the molecular-scale structures and local cross-coupling activities of N₃-OEG-SAMs, which are vital to understanding its surface properties and interfacial molecular design. In this study, molecular-scale surface structures and cross-coupling activity of azide-hexa(ethylene glycol)-terminated SAMs (N₃-EG₆-SAMs) were investigated using frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) in liquid. The N₃-EG₆-SAMs were prepared on Au(111) substrates through the self-assembly of 11-azido-hexa(ethylene glycol)-undecane-1-thiol (N₃-EG₆-C₁₁-HS) molecules obtained from a liquid phase. Subnanometer-resolution surface structures were visualized in an aqueous solution using a laboratory-built FM-AFM instrument. The results show a well-ordered molecular arrangement in the N₃-EG₆-SAM and its clean surfaces originating from the adsorption resistance property of the terminal EG₆ units. Surface functionalization by the cross-coupling reaction of copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition was observed, indicating a structural change in the form of fluctuating structures and island-shaped structures depending on the concentration of the alkyne molecules. The FM-AFM imaging enabled to provide information on the relationship between the surface structures and cross-coupling activity. These findings provide molecular-scale information on the functionalization of the N₃-EG₆-SAMs, which is helpful for the interfacial molecular design based on alkanethiol SAMs in many applications.

Label-Free, Rapid and Facile Gold-Nanoparticles-Based Assay as a Potential Spectroscopic Tool for Trastuzumab Quantification

Monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy is one of the pillars of cancer treatment. However, for an efficient and personalized approach to the therapy, a quantitative evaluation of the right dose for each patient is required. In this study, we developed a simple, label-free, and rapid approach to quantify Trastuzumab, a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody used against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), overexpressed in breast cancer patients, based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The central idea of this work was to use gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as plasmonic scaffolds, decorated with HER2 binders mixed with oligo-ethylene glycol (OEG) molecules, to tune the surface density of the attached macromolecules and to minimize nonspecific binding events. Specifically, we characterized and optimized a self-assembled monolayer of mixed alkylthiols terminated with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), and OEG3 as a spacing ligand to achieve both excellent dispersibility and high reliability in protein immobilization. The successful immobilization of histidine-tagged HER2 (His-tagged HER2) on NTA via cobalt (II) chelates was demonstrated, confirming the fully functional attachment of the proteins to the AuNP surface. The proposed design demonstrates the capability of producing a clear readout that enables the transduction of a Trastuzumab/HER2 binding event into optical signals based on the wavelength shifts in LSPR, which allowed for detecting clinically relevant concentrations of Trastuzumab down to 300 ng/mL in the buffer and 2 µg/mL in the diluted serum. This strategy was found to be fast and highly specific to Trastuzumab. These findings make the present platform an auspicious tool for developing affordable bio-nanosensors.

Distinct thermoresponsive behaviour of oligo- and poly-ethylene glycol protected gold nanoparticles in concentrated salt solutions

In this work, the methoxy terminated oligo- and polyethylene glycol of different chain lengths (EGn, n = 7, 18, 45 and 136) is grafted on AuNP surfaces under conditions where they attain maximum grafting densities. These EGn-AuNPs gain stability relative to the pristine c-AuNPs in aqueous solutions and in a wide temperature interval and they form stable suspensions in solutions of high NaCl concentrations. To show the thermoresponsive properties of these EGn-AuNPs, temperature titration experiments are carried out in the presence of increasing amounts of salts. The concentrations of NaCl are chosen by checking the stability of EGn-AuNPs at room temperature and choosing the highest concentrations that allow them to form stable suspensions. The analysis of the temperature titration experiments monitored by UV-visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering allows us to establish the existence of transitions from individual to assembled nanoparticles, the reversibility of the temperature transitions and hysteretic behaviour in these systems. While EG7-AuNPs only show reversible temperature transitions in the presence of 5 mM NaCl, EG18-AuNPs do up to 1 M NaCl, becoming only partially reversible in 2 M NaCl. The titrations of EG45-AuNPs in 3 and 5 M NaCl show irreversible temperature transitions. Finally, EG136-AuNPs present a complex and interesting behaviour with two temperature transitions, the first one showing hysteresis and the second being reversible.

Engineering the Interface between Inorganic Nanoparticles and Biological Systems through Ligand Design

Nanoparticles (NPs) provide multipurpose platforms for a wide range of biological applications. These applications are enabled through molecular design of surface coverages, modulating NP interactions with biosystems. In this review, we highlight approaches to functionalize nanoparticles with "small" organic ligands (Mw < 1000), providing insight into how organic synthesis can be used to engineer NPs for nanobiology and nanomedicine.

D-shaped plastic optical fibre aptasensor for fast thrombin detection in nanomolar range

The development of optical biosensors for the rapid and costless determination of clinical biomarkers is of paramount importance in medicine. Here we report a fast and low-cost biosensor based on a plasmonic D-shaped plastic optical fibre (POF) sensor derivatized with an aptamer specific for the recognition of thrombin, the target marker of blood homeostasis and coagulation cascade. In particular, we designed a functional interface based on a Self Assembled Monolayer (SAM) composed of short Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG) chains and biotin-modified PEG thiol in ratio 8:2 mol:mol, these latter serving as baits for the binding of the aptamer through streptavidin-chemistry. The SAM was studied by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, static contact angle (CA), Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) in POFs, and fluorescence microscopy on gold surface. The optimized SAM composition enabled the immobilization of about 112 ng/cm² of aptamer. The thrombin detection exploiting POF-Aptasensor occurred in short times (5–10 minutes), the reached Limit of Detection (LOD) was about 1 nM, and the detection range was 1.6–60 nM, indicating the POF-Aptasensor well addresses the needs for a low-cost, simple to use and to realize, rapid, small size and portable diagnostic platform.

Short-chained oligo(ethylene oxide)-functionalized gold nanoparticles: realization of significant protein resistance

Protein corona formed on nanomaterial surfaces play an important role in the bioavailability and cellular uptake of nanomaterials. Modification of surfaces with oligoethylene glycols (OEG) are a common way to improve the resistivity of nanomaterials to protein adsorption. Short-chain ethylene oxide (EO) oligomers have been shown to improve the protein resistance of planar Au surfaces. We describe the application of these EO oligomers for improved protein resistance of 30 nm spherical gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Functionalized AuNPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential measurements. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used for separation and quantitation of AuNPs and AuNP-protein mixtures. Specifically, nonequilibrium capillary electrophoresis of equilibrium mixtures (NECEEM) was employed for the determination of equilibrium and rate constants for binding between citrate-stabilized AuNPs and two model proteins, lysozyme and fibrinogen. Semi-quantitative CE analysis was carried out for mixtures of EO-functionalized AuNPs and proteins, and results demonstrated a 2.5-fold to 10-fold increase in protein binding resistance to lysozyme depending on the AuNP surface functionalization and a 15-fold increase in protein binding resistance to fibrinogen for both EO oligomers examined in this study. Graphical abstract Using capillary electrophoresis, the addition of short-chained oligo(ethylene oxide) ligands to gold nanoparticles was shown to improve protein binding resistance up to 15-fold.

Gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric biosensors

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) provide excellent platforms for the development of colorimetric biosensors as they can be easily functionalised, displaying different colours depending on their size, shape and state of aggregation. In the last decade, a variety of biosensors have been developed to exploit the extent of colour changes as nano-particles (NPs) either aggregate or disperse, in the presence of analytes. Of critical importance to the design of these methods is that the behaviour of the systems has to be reproducible and predictable. Much has been accomplished in understanding the interactions between a variety of substrates and AuNPs, and how these interactions can be harnessed as colorimetric reporters in biosensors. However, despite these developments, only a few biosensors have been used in practice for the detection of analytes in biological samples. The transition from proof of concept to market biosensors requires extensive long-term reliability and shelf life testing, and modification of protocols and design features to make them safe and easy to use by the population at large. Developments in the next decade will see the adoption of user friendly biosensors for point-of-care and medical diagnosis as innovations are brought to improve the analytical performances and usability of the current designs. This review discusses the mechanisms, strategies, recent advances and perspectives for the use of AuNPs as colorimetric biosensors.

A tetraethylene glycol coat gives gold nanoparticles long in vivo half-lives with minimal increase in size

In this study, we describe the experiments determining whether coating gold nanoparticles with tetraethylene glycol (TEG) provides pharmacologically relevant advantages, such as increased serum half-life and resistance to protein adsorption. Monodisperse TEG-coated, NaBH₄-reduced gold nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic size comparable to albumin were synthesized by reducing gold chloride with NaBH₄ under alkaline conditions in the presence of TEG-SH. The particles were characterized by gel electrophoresis, column chromatography, and transmission electron microscopy. The nanoparticles were subsequently injected intravenously into mice, and their half-lives and final destinations were determined via photometric analysis, light microscopy (LM), and transmission electron microscopy. The TEG particles had a long half-life (~400 minutes) that was not influenced by splenectomy. After 500 minutes of injection, TEG particles were found in kidney proximal tubule cell vesicles and in spleen red and white pulp. The particles induced apoptosis in the spleen red pulp but not in white pulp or the kidney. Some of the TEG particles appeared to have undergone ligand exchange reactions that increased their charge. The TEG particles were shown to be resistant to nonspecific protein adsorption, as judged by gel electrophoresis and column chromatography. These results demonstrate that naturally monodisperse, small-sized gold nanoparticles coated with TEG have long in vivo plasma half-lives, are minimally toxic, and are resistant to protein adsorption. This suggests that a TEG coating should be considered as an alternative to a polyethylene glycol coating, which is polydisperse and of much larger size.

Colloidal Mechanisms of Gold Nanoparticle Loss in Asymmetric Flow Field-Flow Fractionation

Flow field-flow fractionation is a powerful method for the analysis of nanoparticle size distributions, but its widespread use has been hampered by large analyte losses, especially of metal nanoparticles. Here, we report on the colloidal mechanisms underlying the losses. We systematically studied gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) during asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) by systematic variation of the particle properties and the eluent composition. Recoveries of AuNPs (core diameter 12 nm) stabilized by citrate or polyethylene glycol (PEG) at different ionic strengths were determined. We used online UV-vis detection and off-line elementary analysis to follow particle losses during full analysis runs, runs without cross-flow, and runs with parts of the instrument bypassed. The combination allowed us to calculate relative and absolute analyte losses at different stages of the analytic protocol. We found different loss mechanisms depending on the ligand. Citrate-stabilized particles degraded during analysis and suffered large losses (up to 74%). PEG-stabilized particles had smaller relative losses at moderate ionic strengths (1-20%) that depended on PEG length. Long PEGs at higher ionic strengths (≥5 mM) caused particle loss due to bridging adsorption at the membrane. Bulk agglomeration was not a relevant loss mechanism at low ionic strengths ≤5 mM for any of the studied particles. An unexpectedly large fraction of particles was lost at tubing and other internal surfaces. We propose that the colloidal mechanisms observed here are relevant loss mechanisms in many particle analysis protocols and discuss strategies to avoid them.

Effect of gold nanoparticle size and surface coating on human red blood cells

This paper reports the impact of bovine serum albumin (BSA) coating on gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes of 15, 30, 50 and 70 nm on cellular uptake and haemolysis of human red blood cells (RBCs). BSA coating on gold NPs imparts extra stability in high-glutathione-containing medium, which is a major prerequisite for NPs being developed for delivery applications. BSA coating on gold NPs was characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, whereas cellular uptake was estimated by ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry and flow cytometry. The cellular uptake results show that the internalisation of bare gold NPs is size dependent; however, upon BSA conjugation, uptake becomes independent of particle size. Cytocompatibility of bare and BSA-coated gold NPs was assessed by MTT assay, a common method to evaluate the biocompatibility of nanomaterials, and found non-toxic. However, when bare gold NPs were exposed to human RBCs, the NPs exerted significant haemolysis, which suggests that bare gold NPs which are considered as non-toxic to mammalian cells, can be harmful to RBCs. Interestingly, BSA-coated gold NPs showed significantly lower haemolysis at similar concentrations, suggesting that BSA-coated gold NPs could be of great importance in biomedical applications.

Quantum Dot Surface Engineering: Toward Inert Fluorophores with Compact Size and Bright, Stable Emission

The surfaces of colloidal nanocrystals are complex interfaces between solid crystals, coordinating ligands, and liquid solutions. For fluorescent quantum dots, the properties of the surface vastly influence the efficiency of light emission, stability, and physical interactions, and thus determine their sensitivity and specificity when they are used to detect and image biological molecules. But after more than 30 years of study, the surfaces of quantum dots remain poorly understood and continue to be an important subject of both experimental and theoretical research. In this article, we review the physics and chemistry of quantum dot surfaces and describe approaches to engineer optimal fluorescent probes for applications in biomolecular imaging and sensing. We describe the structure and electronic properties of crystalline facets, the chemistry of ligand coordination, and the impact of ligands on optical properties. We further describe recent advances in compact coatings that have significantly improved their properties by providing small hydrodynamic size, high stability and fluorescence efficiency, and minimal nonspecific interactions with cells and biological molecules. While major progress has been made in both basic and applied research, many questions remain in the chemistry and physics of quantum dot surfaces that have hindered key breakthroughs to fully optimize their properties.

Multidentate Polymer Coatings for Compact and Homogeneous Quantum Dots with Efficient Bioconjugation

Quantum dots are fluorescent nanoparticles used to detect and image proteins and nucleic acids. Compared with organic dyes and fluorescent proteins, these nanocrystals have enhanced brightness, photostability, and wavelength tunability, but their larger size limits their use. Recently, multidentate polymer coatings have yielded stable quantum dots with small hydrodynamic dimensions (≤10 nm) due to high-affinity, compact wrapping around the nanocrystal. However, this coating technology has not been widely adopted because the resulting particles are frequently heterogeneous and clustered, and conjugation to biological molecules is difficult to control. In this article we develop new polymeric ligands and optimize coating and bioconjugation methodologies for core/shell CdSe/Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S quantum dots to generate homogeneous and compact products. We demonstrate that "ligand stripping" to rapidly displace nonpolar ligands with hydroxide ions allows homogeneous assembly with multidentate polymers at high temperature. The resulting aqueous nanocrystals are 7-12 nm in hydrodynamic diameter, have quantum yields similar to those in organic solvents, and strongly resist nonspecific interactions due to short oligoethylene glycol surfaces. Compared with a host of other methods, this technique is superior for eliminating small aggregates identified through chromatographic and single-molecule analysis. We also demonstrate high-efficiency bioconjugation through azide-alkyne click chemistry and self-assembly with hexa-histidine-tagged proteins that eliminate the need for product purification. The conjugates retain specificity of the attached biomolecules and are exceptional probes for immunofluorescence and single-molecule dynamic imaging. These results are expected to enable broad utilization of compact, biofunctional quantum dots for studying crowded macromolecular environments such as the neuronal synapse and cellular cytoplasm.

M2e-immobilized gold nanoparticles as influenza A vaccine: Role of soluble M2e and longevity of protection

Influenza virus causes seasonal epidemics and also poses a high risk for pandemics. To develop a broadly cross-protective influenza vaccine we have previously shown that a formulation consisting of the extracellular domain of M2 membrane protein (M2e) immobilized on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and soluble CpG as an adjuvant can elicit protective immunity against different influenza A subtypes. The vaccine formulation contains M2e that is immobilized on AuNPs, and an excess amount that is freely dissolved in solution, whose role in inducing protective immunity against virus infection is unclear. Using a mouse model, the current study shows that inclusion of excess soluble M2e antigen along with M2e immobilized on AuNPs is vital for inducing high levels of antibody response, and in providing complete protection against lethal influenza virus challenge. We also show that the vaccine induces long-lasting protection against mortality and morbidity upon lethal challenge with influenza A virus.

Surface passivation improves the synthesis of highly stable and specific DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles with variable DNA density

We report a novel and multifaceted approach for the quick synthesis of highly stable single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The method is based on the combined effect of surface passivation by (1-mercaptoundec-11-yl)hexa(ethylene glycol) and low pH conditions, does not require any salt pretreatment or high excess of ssDNA, and can be generalized for oligonucleotides of any length or base sequence. The synthesized ssDNA-coated AuNPs conjugates are stable at salt concentrations as high as 3.0 M, and also functional and specific toward DNA-DNA hybridization, as shown from UV-vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, gel electrophoresis, fluorescence, and small angle X-ray scattering based analyses. The method is highly flexible and shows an additional advantage of creating ssDNA-AuNP conjugates with a predefined number of ssDNA strands per particle. Its simplicity and tenability make it widely applicable to diverse biosensing applications involving ssDNA functionalized AuNPs.