Ex situ evaluation of the composition of protein corona of intravenously injected superparamagnetic nanoparticles in rats

Abstract

It is now well recognized that the surfaces of nanoparticles (NPs) are coated with biomolecules (e.g., proteins) in a biological medium. Although extensive reports have been published on the protein corona at the surface of NPs in vitro, there are very few on the in vivo protein corona. The main reason for having very poor information regarding the protein corona in vivo is that separation of NPs from the in vivo environment has not been possible by using available techniques. Knowledge of the in vivo protein corona could lead to better understanding and prediction of the fate of NPs in vivo. Here, by using the unique magnetic properties of superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs (SPIONs), NPs were extracted from rat sera after in vivo interaction with the rat's physiological system. More specifically, the in vivo protein coronas of polyvinyl-alcohol-coated SPIONs with various surface charges are defined. The compositions of the corona at the surface of various SPIONs and their effects on the biodistribution of SPIONs were examined and compared with the corona composition of particles incubated for the same time in rat serum.

Toxicological Risk Assessment of Emerging Nanomaterials: Cytotoxicity, Cellular Uptake, Effects on Biogenesis and Cell Organelle Activity, Acute Toxicity and Biodistribution of Oxide Nanoparticles

“…We also showed there were important differences between in vitro and in vivo protein coronas [28]. In the case of negatively charged PVA-SPIONs, for example, more than 60% of the adsorbed proteins from rat serum have sizes comprised between 30 and 50 kDa in vitro when the main proteins (more than 50%) are below 30 kDa in vivo (15 min post injection) (Figure 1-B).…”

“…The charge of PVA conjugated particles can also induce different in vivo behavior of SPIONs. When observed 15 min after injection into a rat model, 50% of the dose of positively charged PVA-SPIONs already accumulate in the liver when 90% of the neutral and the negatively charged PVA-SPIONs are still passing through the bloodstream [28].…”

“…Nowadays, it is accepted that once nanoparticles are incubated in biological fluids such as blood, they will be covered by proteins [41]. Not only do these proteins interact with the chemical coatings of materials, but they mostly also modulate their biological fate [28,42].…”

Plasmonic nanoparticles and their characterization in physiological fluids

“…It was reported that the protein composition depends on the initial surface charge of different functionalized NPs [36]. By using a similar approach, i.e.…”

Particle Targeting in Complex Biological Media

“…[173] Similarly, low-molecular-weight proteins were found to be dominant in protein coronas formed on liposomes in the blood circulation of rats and mice. [112,174] To further elucidate the impact of fluid flow on the formation of protein coronas, studies investigating how flow patterns and shear stresses influence protein adsorption are needed. Moreover, as the particles will be transported by blood when administered systemically, the use of whole www.advancedsciencenews.com www.advhealthmat.de blood as the circulation medium for in vitro assays can be beneficial for mimicking the in vivo environment more closely and to provide results that are more consistent with in vivo data.…”