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Super‐Resolution Microscopy Unveils Dynamic Heterogeneities in Nanoparticle Protein Corona
Author(s) -
FeinerGracia Natalia,
Beck Michaela,
Pujals Sílvia,
Tosi Sébastien,
Mandal Tamoghna,
Buske Christian,
Linden Mika,
Albertazzi Lorenzo
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201701631
Subject(s) - corona (planetary geology) , nanoparticle , nanotechnology , particle (ecology) , materials science , microscopy , protein adsorption , absorption (acoustics) , biophysics , chemistry , adsorption , physics , optics , biology , ecology , organic chemistry , astrobiology , venus , composite material
Abstract The adsorption of serum proteins, leading to the formation of a biomolecular corona, is a key determinant of the biological identity of nanoparticles in vivo. Therefore, gaining knowledge on the formation, composition, and temporal evolution of the corona is of utmost importance for the development of nanoparticle‐based therapies. Here, it is shown that the use of super‐resolution optical microscopy enables the imaging of the protein corona on mesoporous silica nanoparticles with single protein sensitivity. Particle‐by‐particle quantification reveals a significant heterogeneity in protein absorption under native conditions. Moreover, the diversity of the corona evolves over time depending on the surface chemistry and degradability of the particles. This paper investigates the consequences of protein adsorption for specific cell targeting by antibody‐functionalized nanoparticles providing a detailed understanding of corona‐activity relations. The methodology is widely applicable to a variety of nanostructures and complements the existing ensemble approaches for protein corona study.