Engineered Protein Polymer-Gold Nanoparticle Hybrid Materials for Small Molecule Delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

• Small hydrophobic molecule drugs like curcumin have limited bioavailability and targeted delivery.
• Developing effective drug delivery systems is crucial for improving cancer therapy.
• Protein-gold nanoparticle (P-GNP) nanocomposites offer a novel platform for drug delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize P-GNP nanocomposites for enhanced curcumin delivery.
• To evaluate the binding, loading, release, and cellular uptake of curcumin using P-GNPs.
• To assess the potential of P-GNPs as drug delivery vehicles for breast cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of P-GNP nanocomposites using in situ GNP-templated synthesis with histidine tags.
• Quantification of curcumin binding affinity and loading capacity of P-GNPs.
• In vitro assessment of curcumin release kinetics from P-GNPs.
• Evaluation of curcumin cellular uptake in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Main Results:

• P-GNP nanocomposites demonstrated a greater than 7-fold increase in curcumin binding compared to protein polymers alone.
• Curcumin release from P-GNPs was approximately 50% slower, indicating sustained release.
• Cellular uptake of curcumin by MCF-7 cells increased more than 2-fold with P-GNP treatment.
• P-GNPs showed enhanced small molecule loading and delivery efficiency.

Conclusions:

• P-GNP nanocomposites are effective in enhancing curcumin binding, loading, and sustained release.
• These hybrid biomaterials significantly increase curcumin uptake in breast cancer cells.
• P-GNP nanocomposites represent promising candidates for advanced drug delivery vehicles in cancer therapy.