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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Production and Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species ROS in Cancers
Published on: November 21, 2011
Effect of nanosilver surfaces on peptide reactivity towards reactive oxygen species
Erik Jacques1, Manuel Ahumada, Brianna Rector
1Bio-Nanomaterials Chemistry and Engineering Laboratory, Division of Cardiac Surgery, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, 40 Ruskin Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 4 W7, Canada. Ealarcon@ottawaheart.ca.
Abstract:
The interaction of a terminal tryptophan residue within collagen mimetic peptides when tethered to nanometric silver surfaces was studied using a combination of steady state spectroscopy, ultrafast spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics experiments. Our findings indicate that the effective interaction between the tryptophan and the metal surface occurs in short-time scales (ps) and it is responsible for improving the colloidal stability of the nanoparticles exposed to free radicals. The extent and efficiency of the interaction depends on factors beyond the peptide length that include conformation and distance from the terminal tryptophan to the metal surface.
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