Effect of Core-Crosslinking on Protein Corona Formation on Polymeric Micelles

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterial science
• Biomaterials engineering
• Proteomics

Background:

• Nanomaterials interact with biological fluids, forming a protein corona.
• Protein corona formation depends on nanoparticle surface and structure.
• Understanding internal structure's role is key to controlling corona effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of internal nanoparticle structure on protein corona formation.
• To compare protein adsorption on crosslinked versus non-crosslinked poly(N-2-hydroxypropylmethacrylamide) (pHPMA) block copolymer micelles.

Main Methods:

• Incubation of pHPMA micelles (crosslinked and non-crosslinked) with human blood plasma.
• Separation of protein-associated micelles using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4).
• Characterization by dynamic light scattering, gel electrophoresis, and liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for protein identification and quantification.

Main Results:

• Minimal plasma protein association was observed for both micelle types.
• Core-crosslinked micelles showed no significant protein enrichment, indicating suppressed corona formation.
• Non-crosslinked micelles exhibited significant plasma protein enrichment, confirming corona formation.

Conclusions:

• Internal nanoparticle structure significantly influences protein corona formation.
• Core-crosslinking prevents micelle reorganization, crucial for minimizing plasma protein interactions.
• Stabilizing micelle structure is a viable strategy to reduce nanomaterial-protein adsorption.