Synthesis and Characterization of L-Lysine Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles Smaller Than 10 nM

A rapid and convenient batch method for synthesizing lysine-conjugated silver nanoparticles of approximately 5 nm of size was developed. Nanoparticles of size less than 100 nm exhibit significant medical potential. L-Lysine demonstrates potential for therapeutic applications and silver nanoparticles are an optimal choice for drug delivery because of its intrinsic anti-platelet, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory capabilities. Current synthesis protocols for Lysine-capped particles under 10 nm are time consuming and tedious and allow only for the sythesis of small quantities of particles. The synthesis of Lysin-capped silver nanoparticles was based on the reaction in which AgNO₃ was reduced by excess NaBH₄. L-Lysine, a known essential amino acid, served as the capping agent to minimize initial aggregation. The particles were then separated by size chromatography. Capping occurred through the amide bond on L-Lysine as determined by FT-IR. The conjugation of the particle to the amide bond is important, since this leaves the amino group of Lysine open to further modifications. The particles were further characterized in regards to their shape, size and stability. Finally we demonstrated that the synthesized particles exhibit limited to no toxicity in cells, using HEK 293 cell line as a model system. Our sythesis protocol can be successfully used for scale-up and synthesis of high quantities of nanoparticles.