Experimental separation steps influence the protein content of corona around mesoporous silica nanoparticles

In order to direct nanocarriers to their targets efficiently, we have to understand the interactions occurring at the nano-bio interface between nanocarriers and human proteins, which forms the layer called the corona. However, experiments aiming to identify and quantify the proteins in the corona, especially critical steps in the separation of nanoparticles from biological media may affect the corona composition. Here, we used nano-LC MS/MS to compare the protein corona contents obtained after using two different separation methods. We showed that applying centrifugation versus magnetization to isolate nanoparticles surrounded by a corona resulted in protein loss and a reshuffling of their respective abundances.