Phytochemicals as Dynamic Surface Ligands To Control Nanoparticle-Protein Interactions

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Biomaterials Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• The protein corona on nanoparticles dictates their biological fate, but controlling its formation is challenging for nanomedicine.
• Ligands on nanoparticle surfaces can influence biological interactions, yet their effect on protein corona formation is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate phytochemical-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for controlled interactions with human serum albumin (HSA).
• To explore the potential of curcumin (Cur) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) as capping agents for AgNPs to modulate protein binding.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of AgNPs using Cur and EGCG as reducing and capping agents.
• Characterization of phytochemical-capped AgNPs and their interaction with HSA.
• Analysis of NP-HSA complex stability and protein conformational changes.

Main Results:

• Phytochemical-capped AgNPs exhibit stronger initial binding to HSA than citrate-stabilized AgNPs, but form less stable complexes.
• Less significant changes in HSA conformation are observed with phytochemical-capped AgNPs compared to citrate-stabilized ones.
• Cur- and EGCG-capped AgNPs demonstrate distinct interaction modes with HSA (static vs. dynamic, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Phytochemical capping provides a strategy to control NP-protein interactions, reducing detrimental protein conformational changes.
• The choice of phytochemical ligand influences the dynamics of NP-HSA interactions.
• Natural phytochemicals offer versatile opportunities for designing nanoparticles with tailored biological interactions for nanodiagnostics and nanomedicine.