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Related Concept Videos

Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport01:24

Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport

Drugs must traverse multiple biological barriers, such as multi-layered skin, single-layered intestinal epithelium, and the plasma membrane, to reach their target sites within the body. The plasma membrane, a highly structured composite of phospholipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, is the cell's protective boundary, facilitating selective substance exchange.
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.
Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation00:59

Mechanisms of Membrane Domain Formation

Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
Another mechanism for membrane domain formation involves membrane proteins interacting with cytoskeletal...
Mechanisms of Drug Absorption: Paracellular, Transcellular, and Vesicular Transport01:23

Mechanisms of Drug Absorption: Paracellular, Transcellular, and Vesicular Transport

Drugs need to permeate cell membranes to reach their target sites after administration. Orally administered drugs must transcend intestinal epithelial membrane barriers to infiltrate the systemic circulation. Drugs with a molecular weight of less than 500 Daltons diffuse through gaps between neighboring cells, called paracellular pathways.
However, most drugs use the transcellular route, traversing directly through the cell membranes via two mechanisms: passive and active transport. Passive...

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Facile Preparation of Internally Self-assembled Lipid Particles Stabilized by Carbon Nanotubes
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Surface-structure-regulated cell-membrane penetration by monolayer-protected nanoparticles.

Ayush Verma1, Oktay Uzun, Yuhua Hu

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

Nature Materials
|May 27, 2008
PubMed
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Structured nanoparticle coatings enable cell membrane penetration without causing cell damage. This finding offers a new strategy for designing cell-penetrating nanomaterials, overcoming endosomal entrapment and improving cytosolic access.

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Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Facile Preparation of Internally Self-assembled Lipid Particles Stabilized by Carbon Nanotubes
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Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Cell Biology
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Nanoscale objects typically enter cells via endosomes, limiting access to the cytoplasm.
  • Synthetic nanoparticles often disrupt cell membranes, leading to cytotoxicity.
  • Existing research on cell-penetrating nanomaterials focuses on size, shape, and composition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate nanoparticle surface structure's role in cell membrane penetration.
  • To compare the cellular uptake mechanisms of two nanoparticle isomers with distinct surface arrangements.
  • To develop a non-cytotoxic method for synthetic nanomaterial cell entry.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of two nanoparticle isomers with identical composition but different surface moiety distributions (striated vs. random).
  • In vitro cell culture experiments to assess nanoparticle-cell interactions.
  • Microscopy techniques to visualize nanoparticle uptake pathways and membrane integrity.

Main Results:

  • Nanoparticles with a striated surface coating of alternating anionic and hydrophobic groups penetrated the plasma membrane without disrupting the bilayer.
  • Nanoparticles with a random distribution of the same surface moieties were primarily endocytosed and trapped in endosomes.
  • The ordered surface structure of nanoparticles is critical for direct cell membrane penetration.

Conclusions:

  • A specific, ordered surface structure on nanoparticles facilitates non-disruptive cell membrane penetration.
  • This finding provides a new paradigm for designing cell-penetrating nanomaterials.
  • The results offer a strategy to bypass endosomal entrapment and enhance cytosolic delivery of synthetic nanoparticles.