PEGylating poly(p-phenylene vinylene)-based bioimaging nanoprobes

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Bioimaging

Background:

• Conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CNPs) offer excellent optical properties and biocompatibility for bioimaging.
• Unspecific protein adsorption on CNPs hinders their application as advanced bioimaging probes.
• Functionalized poly(p-phenylene vinylene) allows for tailored CNPs with surface groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To PEGylate CNPs to tune their uptake by brain cell lines.
• To investigate the impact of PEGylation on CNP optical properties and protein adsorption.
• To assess the effect of PEGylation on CNP interactions with representative brain cell lines.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of CNPs using miniemulsion solvent evaporation.
• Covalent attachment of amine-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG) to surface carboxylic acid groups.
• Investigation of optical properties, protein adsorption, and cell uptake in CNS cell lines.

Main Results:

• PEGylation preserved the optical properties and biocompatibility of CNPs.
• A significant reduction in protein corona formation and unspecific uptake was observed.
• The extent of reduction in protein adsorption and cell uptake correlated with PEG chain length.

Conclusions:

• PEGylation is a viable strategy to enhance the performance of CNPs as bioimaging tools.
• PEGylation can be adapted to modulate biological interactions of CNPs with brain cells.
• This study presents the first evidence that PEGylation does not impair the bioimaging utility of CNPs.