Internalization and Cellular Fate of Protein Corona-Coated Nanoparticles by Multimodal Multi-Scale Microscopy.

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Nanoparticles in biological settings rapidly acquire a protein corona, affecting their behavior.
• Current methods struggle to track nanoparticle dynamics within cells over time due to incubation disparities.
• High-resolution characterization is crucial for understanding nanoparticle-cell interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To overcome limitations in tracking nanoparticle behavior within cells.
• To precisely monitor the spatiotemporal displacement of protein corona-coated nanoparticles.
• To investigate nanoparticle migration and intracellular vesicle fusion under near-native conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cryogenic X-ray nanotomography for high-resolution imaging.
• Combined with super-resolution and correlative microscopy techniques.
• Studied fully hydrated cells under near-native conditions without contrasting agents.

Main Results:

• Successfully monitored nanoparticle migration to the perinuclear region.
• Observed the evolution of cellular organelles concurrently with nanoparticle tracking.
• Indicated progressive fusion of vesicles carrying nanoparticles intracellularly.

Conclusions:

• Developed a versatile strategy to uncover temporal aspects of nanoparticle behavior in cells.
• The method allows for precise monitoring of nanoparticle spatiotemporal displacement.
• Applicable to various nanoparticles and cell types for in-depth cellular environment studies.