No abstract

We manipulate the passive release rates of DNA payloads on protein coronas formed around nanoparticles (NPs) by varying the corona composition. The coronas are prepared using a mixture of hard and soft corona proteins. We form coronas around gold nanorods (NRs), nanobones (NBs), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from human serum (HS) and find that tuning the amount of human serum albumin (HSA) in the NR-coronas (NR-HS-DNA) changes the payload release profile. The effect of buffer strength, HS concentration, and concentration of the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) passivating the NP surfaces on passive release is explored. We find that corona properties play an important role in passive release, and concentrations of CTAB, HS, and phosphate buffer used in corona formation can tune payload release profiles. These advances in understanding protein corona properties bring us closer toward developing a set of basic design rules that enable their manipulation and optimization for particular biological applications.

International audienc

This review provides a perspective on porous silicon (pSi)-based nanomaterials including nanoparticles, nanowires, and thin films, that are currently being used in advanced therapy, imaging, and sensing, with a focus on their effective use in future clinical settings. The achievement of both controlled geometry and architecture, and surface chemistry motifs, are presented as the two key parameters that dictate the nature of interactions with the biological entities. The authors discuss the role of the degradation kinetics in a biological environment into nontoxic by-products. pSi is presented as increasingly fulfilling a central task in various biomedical applications and clinical settings, owing to its unique physiochemical properties.