Issue 6, 2024

Unveiling protein corona formation around self-propelled enzyme nanomotors by nanoscopy

Abstract

The interaction of nanoparticles with biological media is a topic of general interest for drug delivery systems and among those for active nanoparticles, also called nanomotors. Herein, we report the use of super resolution microscopy, in particular, stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), to characterize the formation of a protein corona around active enzyme-powered nanomotors. First, we characterized the distribution and number of enzymes on nano-sized particles and characterized their motion capabilities. Then, we incubated the nanomotors with fluorescently labelled serum proteins. Interestingly, we observed a significant decrease of protein corona formation (20%) and different composition, which was studied by proteomic analysis. Moreover, motion was not hindered, as nanomotors displayed enhanced diffusion regardless of the protein corona. Elucidating how active particles interact with biological media and maintain their self-propulsion after protein corona formation will pave the way for the use of these systems in complex biological fluids in biomedicine.

Graphical abstract: Unveiling protein corona formation around self-propelled enzyme nanomotors by nanoscopy

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 juil. 2023
Accepted
11 nov. 2023
First published
16 nov. 2023

Nanoscale, 2024,16, 2904-2912

Unveiling protein corona formation around self-propelled enzyme nanomotors by nanoscopy

T. Patiño, J. Llacer-Wintle, S. Pujals, L. Albertazzi and S. Sánchez, Nanoscale, 2024, 16, 2904 DOI: 10.1039/D3NR03749E

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