I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University
Macquarie University
Moscow, Moscow, Russian Federation
The colloidal stability of nanoparticles (NPs) plays a key role in their successful usage in various biomedical applications. No matter how well their properties are studied under idealized conditions, everything can change dramatically while interacting with biological objects. In a living organism, NPs are primarily met by proteins, which form a so-called protein corona on their surface. Although in most cases NPs interact with many proteins simultaneously, studies of the interactions of NPs with individual proteins, as well as the consequences to which they lead, are still relevant. In this work, the effect of the surface coating of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) on colloidal stability in transferrin (Tf) solutions was investigated. It is shown that in case of positively charged UCNP-PEI, Tf plays the role of a coagulant and leads to the precipitation of NPs. At the same time, the colloidal stability of negatively charged UCNP-PAA depends on the number of Tf molecules per one NP. So with an excess of Tf in the solution, a monolayer of protein is observed on the surface of UCNP-PAA, which ensures their colloid stability and can be used in the development of theranostics agents capable of overcoming the blood-brain barrier.
protein corona, upconversion nanoparticles, transferrin, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, aggregation
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