Issue 6, 2023

Nanoparticle protein corona: from structure and function to therapeutic targeting

Abstract

Nanoparticle (NP)-based therapeutics have ushered in a new era in translational medicine. However, despite the clinical success of NP technology, it is not well-understood how NPs fundamentally change in biological environments. When introduced into physiological fluids, NPs are coated by proteins, forming a protein corona (PC). The PC has the potential to endow NPs with a new identity and alter their bioactivity, stability, and destination. Additionally, the conformation of proteins is sensitive to their physical and chemical surroundings. Therefore, biological factors and protein–NP-interactions can induce changes in the conformation and orientation of proteins in vivo. Since the function of a protein is closely connected to its folded structure, slight differences in the surrounding environment as well as the surface characteristics of the NP materials may cause proteins to lose or gain a function. As a result, this can alter the downstream functionality of the NPs. This review introduces the main biological factors affecting the conformation of proteins associated with the PC. Then, four types of NPs with extensive utility in biomedical applications are described in greater detail, focusing on the conformation and orientation of adsorbed proteins. This is followed by a discussion on the instances in which the conformation of adsorbed proteins can be leveraged for therapeutic purposes, such as controlling protein conformation in assembled matrices in tissue, as well as controlling the PC conformation for modulating immune responses. The review concludes with a perspective on the remaining challenges and unexplored areas at the interface of PC and NP research.

Graphical abstract: Nanoparticle protein corona: from structure and function to therapeutic targeting

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
29 aug 2022
Accepted
29 nov 2022
First published
19 jan 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Lab Chip, 2023,23, 1432-1466

Nanoparticle protein corona: from structure and function to therapeutic targeting

G. Bashiri, M. S. Padilla, K. L. Swingle, S. J. Shepherd, M. J. Mitchell and K. Wang, Lab Chip, 2023, 23, 1432 DOI: 10.1039/D2LC00799A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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