Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 16, 2026
Preparation and Photoacoustic Analysis of Cellular Vehicles Containing Gold Nanorods
Published on: May 2, 2016
Surface-anchored poly(acryloyl-L(D)-valine) with enhanced chirality-selective effect on cellular uptake of gold
Jun Deng1, Sai Wu1, Mengyun Yao1
1MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
Abstract:
Chirality is one of the ubiquitous phenomena in biological systems. The left handed (L-) amino acids and right handed (D-) sugars are normally found in proteins, and in RNAs and DNAs, respectively. The effect of chiral surfaces at the nanoscale on cellular uptake has, however, not been explored. This study reveals for the first time the molecular chirality on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functions as a direct regulator for cellular uptake. Monolayers of 2-mercaptoacetyl-L(D)-valine (L(D)-MAV) and poly(acryloyl-L(D)-valine (L(D)-PAV) chiral molecules were formed on AuNPs surface, respectively. The internalized amount of PAV-AuNPs was several times larger than that of MAV-AuNPs by A549 and HepG2 cells, regardless of the chirality difference. However, the D-PAV-AuNPs were internalized with significantly larger amount than the L-PAV-AuNPs. This chirality-dependent uptake effect is likely attributed to the preferable interaction between the L-phospholipid-based cell membrane and the D-enantiomers.
