Tannic acid-mediated surface functionalization of polymeric nanoparticles.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) require surface modification for targeted applications.
• Polydopamine (pD) has been used as a prime coating for poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs, enabling ligand conjugation.
• pD coating presents limitations, including optical properties and interference with ligand characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce tannic acid (TA) as a novel, functionally comparable alternative to pD for coating PLGA NPs.
• To evaluate TA's stability, optical properties, and capacity for surface functionalization.
• To demonstrate TA's utility in controlling cell-NP interactions through various surface modifications.

Main Methods:

• PLGA NPs were coated with tannic acid (TA).
• Surface functionalization of TA-coated NPs was achieved with albumin, chitosan, and folate-terminated polyethylene glycol.
• The ability of TA coating to accommodate polycyclic planar aromatic compounds was assessed.
• Cell-NP interactions were studied using functionalized NPs.

Main Results:

• TA forms a stable and optically inert coating on PLGA NPs.
• TA coating successfully accommodates diverse molecules, including proteins, polymers, and small aromatic compounds.
• TA-coated NPs demonstrate controlled interactions with cells, comparable to pD-coated NPs.
• TA avoids the optical drawbacks and characterization interference associated with pD.

Conclusions:

• Tannic acid (TA) is a viable and advantageous alternative to polydopamine (pD) for prime coating PLGA nanoparticles.
• TA provides a stable, optically inert platform for versatile NP surface functionalization.
• TA-coated NPs offer a promising strategy for modulating cell-NP interactions in biomedical applications.