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Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Capillary Electrophoresis Mass Spectrometry Approaches for Characterization of the Protein and Metabolite Corona Acquired by Nanomaterials
Published on: October 27, 2020
Formation of the Protein Corona: The Interface between Nanoparticles and the Immune System
Francesco Barbero1, Lorenzo Russo1, Michele Vitali2
1Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), CSIC and The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Campus UAB, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
Abstract:
The interaction of inorganic nanoparticles and many biological fluids often withstands the formation of a Protein Corona enveloping the nanoparticle. This Protein Corona provides the biological identity to the nanoparticle that the immune system will detect. The formation of this Protein Corona depends not only on the composition of the nanoparticle, its size, shape, surface state and exposure time, but also on the type of media, nanoparticle to protein ratio and the presence of ions and other molecular species that interfere in the interaction between proteins and nanoparticles. This has important implications on immune safety, biocompatibility and the use of nanoparticles in medicine.
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