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Impact of particle size and surface modification on gold nanoparticle penetration into human placental microtissues
Carina Muoth1, Mandy Großgarten2, Uwe Karst2
1Particles-Biology Interactions, Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Aim:
Nanoparticle-based drug carriers hold great promise for the development of targeted therapies in pregnancy with reduced off-target effects. Here, we performed a mechanistic in vitro study on placental localization and penetration of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in dependence of particle size and surface modification.
Materials & Methods:
AuNP uptake and penetration in human placental coculture microtissues was assessed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.
Results:
Higher uptake and deeper penetration was observed for smaller (3-4 nm) or sodium carboxylate-modified AuNPs than for larger (13-14 nm) or PEGylate AuNPs, which barely passed the trophoblast barrier layer.
Conclusion:
It is possible to steer placental uptake and penetration of AuNPs by tailoring their properties, which is a prerequisite for the development of targeted therapies in pregnancy.
