Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Preparation of Nanoparticles for ToF-SIMS and XPS Analysis
Published on: September 13, 2020
Effects of surface compositional and structural heterogeneity on nanoparticle-protein interactions: different protein
Rixiang Huang1, Randy P Carney, Kaoru Ikuma
1Department of Geology, Baylor University , One Bear Place #97354 Waco, Texas 76798, United States.
Abstract:
As nanoparticles (NPs) enter into biological systems, they are immediately exposed to a variety and concentration of proteins. The physicochemical interactions between proteins and NPs are influenced by the surface properties of the NPs. To identify the effects of NP surface heterogeneity, the interactions between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and gold NPs (AuNPs) with similar chemical composition but different surface structures were investigated. Different interaction modes and BSA conformations were studied by dynamic light scattering, circular dichroism spectroscopy, fluorescence quenching and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Depending on the surface structure of AuNPs, BSA seems to adopt either a "side-on" or an "end-on" conformation on AuNPs. ITC demonstrated that the adsorption of BSA onto AuNPs with randomly distributed polar and nonpolar groups was primarily driven by electrostatic interaction, and all BSA were adsorbed in the same process. The adsorption of BSA onto AuNPs covered with alternating domains of polar and nonpolar groups was a combination of different interactions. Overall, the results of this study point to the potential for utilizing nanoscale manipulation of NP surfaces to control the resulting NP-protein interactions.
Related Concept Videos
Protein-protein Interfaces
Ligand Binding Sites
Protein-ligand interactions are quite specific; even though numerous potential ligands surround a cellular protein at any given time, only a particular ligand can bind to that protein. Moreover, a ligand binds only to a dedicated area on the surface of the protein, known as the...
Factors Affecting Protein-Drug Binding: Drug Interactions
Displacement interactions can have varying outcomes, ranging from toxicity to virtually...
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Particle Size and Effective Surface Area
Factors Affecting Protein-Drug Binding: Protein-Related Factors
The physicochemical properties of a drug play a significant role in its ability to bind to proteins. Lipophilic drugs, which dissolve in fats, oils, and lipids, can be...
Factors Affecting Protein-Drug Binding: Drug-Related Factors
One crucial factor in drug-protein binding is the drug's lipophilicity or its affinity for fat. More lipophilic drugs tend to have higher binding extents. For example, highly lipophilic drugs like cloxacillin exhibit substantial protein binding, with as much as 95% of the drug binding to proteins. In...

