A hyperspectral and toxicological analysis of protein corona impact on silver nanoparticle properties, intracellular modifications, and macrophage activation

Jonathan H Shannahan,1 Ramakrishna Podila,2,3 Jared M Brown1 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 2Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, 3Clemson Nanomaterials Center and COMSET, Clemson University, Anderson, SC, USA Abstract: The inevitable adsorption of biomolecules on nanomaterials results in the formation of a protein corona (PC), which modifies the nanoparticle (NP)–cell interface resulting in modified uptake, activity, clearance, and toxicity. While the physicochemical properties of the NP govern the composition of PC, the formation of PC in turn alters the characteristics of the NP by imparting a new unique “biological” identity. To assess how the PC influences AgNP properties, intracellular modifications, and cellular responses, we utilized a combination of hyperspectral and toxicological analyses. AgNPs were coated with a complex PC (multiple proteins, eg, 10% fetal bovine serum) or a simple PC (single protein, eg, bovine serum albumin [BSA]) and evaluated by hyperspectral and dynamic light scattering for modifications in AgNP properties. Mouse macrophages were exposed to AgNPs with PCs and examined for differences in uptake, cytotoxicity, and cell activation. Hyperspectral imaging revealed intracellular modifications to AgNPs that were found to spectrally match alterations in AgNPs following incubation in lysosomal fluid. Addition of the PC influenced AgNP uptake and cytotoxicity; however, hydrodynamic size and surface charge did not contribute to these responses. Assessments of all endpoints demonstrated differences between complex and BSA PC, suggesting that these responses are not purely driven by the primary protein component of the complex PC (ie, BSA). Alterations in cellular–NP uptake/interactions may be driven through cell surface receptor recognition of protein constituents that make up the PC rather than the physicochemical differences in AgNPs. Keywords: nanomaterials, biocorona, hyperspectral imaging, darkfield microscop

Defect density in multiwalled carbon nanotubes influences ovalbumin adsorption and promotes macrophage activation and CD4+ T-cell proliferation

Wei Bai,1 Achyut Raghavendra,2 Ramakrishna Podila,2,* Jared M Brown1,* 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 2Laboratory of Nano-Biophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson Nanomaterials Center and COMSET, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA *These authors contributed equally to this manuscript Abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are of great interest for the development of drugs and vaccines due to their unique physicochemical properties. The high surface area to volume ratio and delocalized pi-electron cloud of CNTs promote binding of proteins to the surface forming a protein corona. This unique feature of CNTs has been recognized for potential delivery of antigens for strong and long-lasting antigen-specific immune responses. Based on an earlier study that demonstrated increased protein binding, we propose that carboxylated multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs) can function as an improved carrier to deliver antigens such as ovalbumin (OVA). To test this hypothesis, we coated carboxylated MWCNTs with OVA and measured uptake and activation of antigen-presenting cells (macrophages) and their ability to stimulate CD4+ T-cell proliferation. We employed two types of carboxylated MWCNTs with different surface areas and defects (MWCNT-2 and MWCNT-30). MWCNT-2 and MWCNT-30 have surface areas of ~215 m2/g and 94 m2/g, respectively. The ratios of D- to G-band areas (ID/IG) were 0.97 and 1.37 for MWCNT-2 and MWCNT-30, respectively, samples showing that MWCNT-30 contained more defects. The increase in defects in MWCNT-30 led to increased binding of OVA as compared to MWCNT-2 (1,066±182 µg/mL vs 582±41 µg/mL, respectively). Both types of MWCNTs, along with MWCNT–OVA complexes, showed no observable toxicity to bone-marrow-derived macrophages up to 5 days. Surprisingly, we found that MWCNT–OVA complex significantly increased the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II on macrophages and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin 6), while MWCNTs without OVA protein corona did not. The coculture of MWCNT–OVA-complex-treated macrophages and OVA-specific CD4+ T-cells isolated from OT-II mice demonstrated robust proliferation of CD4+ T-cells. This study provides strong evidence for a role for defects in carboxylated MWCNTs and their use in the efficient delivery of antigens for the development of next-generation vaccines. Keywords: MWCNT, protein corona, nanoparticle, defect, carboxylation, antigen presentation, immune respons

Three-photon imaging using defect-induced photoluminescence in biocompatible ZnO nanoparticles

Achyut J Raghavendra,1 Wren E Gregory,1 Tyler J Slonecki,2 Yongchang Dong,1 Indushekhar Persaud,3 Jared M Brown,3 Terri F Bruce,2 Ramakrishna Podila1,4 1Laboratory of Nano-Biophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson Nanomaterials Institute, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA; 2Clemson Light Imaging Facility, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA; 3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; 4Clemson University School of Health Research and COMSET, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA Background: Although optical spectroscopy promises improved lateral resolution for cancer imaging, its clinical use is seriously impeded by background fluorescence and photon attenuation even in the so-called two-photon absorption (2PA) imaging modality. An efficient strategy to meet the clinical cancer imaging needs, beyond what two-photon absorption (2PA) offers, is to use longer excitation wavelengths through three-photon absorption (3PA). A variety of fluorescent dyes and nanoparticles (NPs) have been used in 3PA imaging. However, their non-linear 3PA coefficient is often low necessitating high excitation powers, which cause overheating, photodamage, and photo-induced toxicity. Doped wide band gap semiconductors such as Mn:ZnS NPs have previously been used for 3PA but suffer from poor 3PA coefficients. Methods: Here, we prepared ZnO NPs with intrinsic defects with high 3PA coefficients using a polyol method. We functionalized them with peptides for selective uptake by glioblastoma U87MG cells and used breast cancer MCF-7 cells as control for 3PA studies. Uptake was measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Biocompatibility studies were performed using reactive oxygen species and cell viability assays. Results: We demonstrate that ZnO NPs, which have a band gap of 3.37 eV with an order of magnitude higher 3PA coefficients, can facilitate the use of longer excitation wavelengths 950–1,100 nm for bioimaging. We used the presence intrinsic defects (such as O interstitials and Zn vacancies) in ZnO NPs to induce electronic states within the band gap that can support strong visible luminescence 550–620 nm without the need for extrinsic doping. The peptide functionalization of ZnO NPs showed selective uptake by U87MG cells unlike MCF-7 cells without the integrin receptors. Furthermore, all ZnO NPs were found to be biocompatible for 3PA imaging. Conclusion: We show that defect-induced luminescence 550–620 nm in ZnO NPs (20 nm) due to 3PA at longer excitation (975 nm) can be used for 3PA imaging of U87MG glioblastoma cells with lower background noise. Keywords: three-photon imaging, ZnO nanoparticles, defects, photoluminescenc