Fibrinogen protected gold nanoclusters as an effective anticoagulant

Thrombin (TB) induces the conversion of soluble fibrinogen (FIB) to insoluble fibrin, which represents a crucial step in thrombus formation. Traditional anticoagulants primarily prevent thrombus formation by inhibiting TB activity. The clinical used anticoagulant, heparin indirectly inhibits TB activity, but suffers from its potential side effects that receive significant concerns. Herein, we present the potential application of fibrinogen template-based gold nanoclusters (FIB-AuNCs) for anticoagulation. FIB-AuNCs effectively maintain the binding site between FIB and TB, leading to direct and efficient inhibition of TB activity, while the larger FIB-Au nanoparticles show limited effect. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the high efficacy and safety of FIB-AuNCs compared with heparin, suggesting that the ultra-small size of FIB-AuNCs not only enhances anticoagulant efficacy but also significantly reduces potential toxicity to the liver and kidney. Therefore, we anticipate that FIB-AuNCs may emerge as a potential clinical anticoagulant candidate, which eventually promote the development of new anticoagulation therapeutic agents.