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Gold Nanoparticles for Bioapplications

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 6243

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
Interests: immunoanalytical methods; infectious disease markers; antigen–antibody interaction; protein–nanoparticle conjugates; mathematical modeling of bioanalytical systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Among various nanomaterials, gold nanoparticles are of particular interest. The simple preparation of such particles, with specified sizes and shapes, their unique physical (optical, adsorption, etc.) properties, and the possibility of complexation with various biologically active substances, led to numerous developments of analytical systems and therapeutic as well as theranostic preparations based on gold nanoparticles. Despite the accumulated experience, the number of developments in this area is continuously growing. Researchers propose new preparations of gold nanoparticles and multicomponent particles based on them and consider new possibilities for the highly sensitive detection of complexes labeled with gold nanoparticles, the use of functionalized nanoparticles for targeted transport into the body, and the prevention of the development of pathologies. Further progress in studies on gold nanoparticles requires the comparative characterization of their different preparations, identifying relationships between their structures and properties, and grounded choices of the best reagents for different tasks. We hope that experimental articles and reviews in this Special Issue will allow for the presenting of the most interesting developments in the biological applications of gold nanoparticles and the evaluation of the most promising areas for further investigations.

Dr. Dmitriy V. Sotnikov
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • gold nanoparticles
  • functionalized nanoparticles
  • nanosensors
  • diagnostic tests
  • plasmonic sensors
  • theranostic preparations
  • coronavirus nanoparticles
  • biodistribution of nanoparticles
  • nanotoxicity

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3796 KiB  
Article
Ability of Antibodies Immobilized on Gold Nanoparticles to Bind Small Antigen Fluorescein
by Dmitriy V. Sotnikov, Nadezhda A. Byzova, Anatoly V. Zherdev and Boris B. Dzantiev
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(23), 16967; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242316967 - 30 Nov 2023
Viewed by 654
Abstract
The analytical applications of antibodies are often associated with their immobilization on different carriers, which is accompanied by a loss of antigen-binding activity for a sufficient proportion of the bound antibodies. In contrast to data on plain carriers, minimal data are available on [...] Read more.
The analytical applications of antibodies are often associated with their immobilization on different carriers, which is accompanied by a loss of antigen-binding activity for a sufficient proportion of the bound antibodies. In contrast to data on plain carriers, minimal data are available on the properties of antibodies on the surfaces of nanoparticles. Protein antigens have been predominantly investigated, for which space restrictions do not allow them to occupy all active sites of immobilized antibodies. This study considered a low-molecular-weight compound, fluorescein, as an antigen. Spherical gold nanoparticles with five different sizes, two differently charged forms of fluorescein, and three different levels of surface coverage by immobilized antibodies were tested. For gold nanoparticles with diameters from 14 to 35.5 nm with monolayers of immobilized antibodies, the percentage of molecules capable of binding carboxyfluorescein varied from 6% to 17%. The binding of aminofluorescein was more efficient; for gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of 21 nm, the percentage of active binding sites for the immobilized antibodies reached 27% compared with 13% for the carboxyfluorescein case. A fourfold reduction in the coverage of the nanoparticles’ surface compared with that of the monolayer did not lead to reliable changes in the percentage of active binding sites. The obtained data demonstrate that an antigen’s binding to immobilized antibodies is limited even for small antigens and depends on the size of the nanoparticles and the electrostatic repulsion near their surface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gold Nanoparticles for Bioapplications)
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12 pages, 1399 KiB  
Article
Effects of Hydrophobic Gold Nanoparticles on Structure and Fluidity of SOPC Lipid Membranes
by Poornima Budime Santhosh, Tihomir Tenev, Luka Šturm, Nataša Poklar Ulrih and Julia Genova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 10226; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241210226 - 16 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1485
Abstract
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are promising candidates in various biomedical applications such as sensors, imaging, and cancer therapy. Understanding the influence of AuNPs on lipid membranes is important to assure their safety in the biological environment and to improve their scope in nanomedicine. In [...] Read more.
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are promising candidates in various biomedical applications such as sensors, imaging, and cancer therapy. Understanding the influence of AuNPs on lipid membranes is important to assure their safety in the biological environment and to improve their scope in nanomedicine. In this regard, the present study aimed to analyze the effects of different concentrations (0.5, 1, and 2 wt.%) of dodecanethiol functionalized hydrophobic AuNPs on the structure and fluidity of zwitterionic 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine (SOPC) lipid bilayer membranes using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and fluorescent spectroscopy. The size of AuNPs was found to be 2.2 ± 1.1 nm using transmission electron microscopy. FTIR results have shown that the AuNPs induced a slight shift in methylene stretching bands, while the band positions of carbonyl and phosphate group stretching were unaffected. Temperature-dependent fluorescent anisotropy measurements showed that the incorporation of AuNPs up to 2 wt.% did not affect the lipid order in membranes. Overall, these results indicate that the hydrophobic AuNPs in the studied concentration did not cause any significant alterations in the structure and membrane fluidity, which suggests the suitability of these particles to form liposome–AuNP hybrids for diverse biomedical applications including drug delivery and therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gold Nanoparticles for Bioapplications)
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16 pages, 4634 KiB  
Article
Effect of Physiological Fluid on the Photothermal Properties of Gold Nanostructured
by María Fernanda Amézaga González, Jazzely Acosta Bezada, Víctor Gómez Flores, Christian Chapa González, Jose Rurik Farias Mancilla, S. J. Castillo, Carlos Avila Orta and Perla E. García-Casillas
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 8339; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24098339 - 6 May 2023
Viewed by 1583
Abstract
Colloidal gold particles have been extensively studied for their potential in hyperthermia treatment due to their ability to become excited in the presence of an external laser. However, their light-to-heat efficiency is affected by the physiologic environment. In this study, we aimed to [...] Read more.
Colloidal gold particles have been extensively studied for their potential in hyperthermia treatment due to their ability to become excited in the presence of an external laser. However, their light-to-heat efficiency is affected by the physiologic environment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the ability of gold sphere, rod, and star-shaped colloids to elevate the temperature of blood plasma and breast cancer-simulated fluid under laser stimulation. Additionally, the dependence of optical properties and colloid stability of gold nanostructures with physiological medium, particle shape, and coating was determined. The light-to-heat efficiency of the gold particle is shape-dependent. The light-to-heat conversion efficiency of a star-shaped colloid is 36% higher than that of sphere-shaped colloids. However, the raised temperature of the surrounding medium is the lowest in the star-shaped colloid. When gold nanostructures are exited with a laser stimulation in a physiological fluid, the ions/cations attach to the surface of the gold particles, resulting in colloidal instability, which limits electron oscillation and diminishes the energy generated by the plasmonic excitation. Fluorescein (Fl) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) attached to gold spheres enhances their colloidal stability and light-to-heat efficiency; post-treatment, they remand their optical properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gold Nanoparticles for Bioapplications)
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16 pages, 6860 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Novel Fluorescent Glutathione-Capped Ag Nanoclusters
by Roman Tumskiy, Boris Khlebtsov, Anastasiia Tumskaia, Stella Evstigneeva, Evgeniya Antoshkina, Andrey Zakharevich and Nikolai G. Khlebtsov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 8306; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24098306 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1873
Abstract
Ag nanomaterials are promising candidates for the discovery of next-generation antibiotics with a high antibacterial effect against multi-drug resistant strains. This paper reports a simple synthesis of novel water-soluble glutathione-capped silver nanoclusters (GSH-Ag NCs) with an enhanced antibacterial activity. According to thin layer [...] Read more.
Ag nanomaterials are promising candidates for the discovery of next-generation antibiotics with a high antibacterial effect against multi-drug resistant strains. This paper reports a simple synthesis of novel water-soluble glutathione-capped silver nanoclusters (GSH-Ag NCs) with an enhanced antibacterial activity. According to thin layer chromatography (TLC), the synthesized GSH-Ag NCs are an individual fraction of the same composition without any impurities. According to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses, the silver core of the GSH-Ag NCs contains approximately 35 silver atoms, and the molecular weight of these nanoclusters is about 11 kDa. The fabricated silver nanoclusters have a reddish fluorescence (λex/λem = 509/645 nm), with a large Stokes shift (>130 nm), and ultra-small size (less than 2 nm) according to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) data and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The antibacterial activity and minimal inhibitory concentrations of the silver nanoclusters towards Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Enterobacter cloacae were evaluated using the agar well-diffusion method and resazurin metabolism assay. The antibacterial activity of chelated silver in the nanoclusters was found to be significantly higher compared to the activity of free silver ions. To explain the possible mechanisms underlying the antibacterial actions of the GSH-Ag nanoclusters, molecular docking was performed, and prospective bacterial targets were identified using AutoDock. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gold Nanoparticles for Bioapplications)
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