Protein encapsulation in biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles: morphology, fluorescence behaviour and stem cell uptake
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Updated: May 10, 2026
Formulation of Diblock Polymeric Nanoparticles through Nanoprecipitation Technique
Published on: September 20, 2011
Nicoletta Rescignano1, Luigi Tarpani, Roberto Tiribuzi
1Materials Engineering Center, UdR INSTM, University of Perugia, Str. Pentima 4, 05100, Terni, Italy; Institute of Polymer Science and Technology, CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
The synthesis and characterization of new biodegradable polymeric NPs loaded with bovine serum albumin marked with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-BSA) is reported. The protein is encapsulated in poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) NPs by the double emulsion method with subsequent solvent evaporation. The NPs display a spherical shape with a narrow size distribution and no aggregation is observed after drying. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements appear to be a sensitive method to investigate the protein environment on the nanometer-scale. Finally, FITC-BSA-loaded NPs are rapidly internalized in stem cells. Interestingly, 25% cells were slightly positive after 28 days.
