Coating Metal Nanoparticle Surfaces with Small Organic Molecules Can Reduce Nonspecific Cell Uptake.

ABSTRACT: Elucidation of mechanisms of uptake of nanoparticles by cells and methods to prevent this uptake is essential for many applications of nanoparticles. Most recent studies have focused on the role of proteins that coat nanoparticles and have employed PEGylation, particularly dense coatings of PEG, to reduce protein opsonization and cell uptake. Here we show that small molecule coatings on metallic nanoparticles can markedly reduce cell uptake for very sparsely PEGylated nanoparticles. Similar results were obtained in media with and without proteins, suggesting that protein opsonization is not the primary driver of this phenomenon. The reduction in cell uptake is proportional to the degree of surface coverage by the small molecules. Probing cell uptake pathways using inhibitors suggested that

SUBMITTER: Van Haute D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8820241 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature