Revealing the Binding Structure of the Protein Corona on Gold Nanorods Using Synchrotron Radiation-Based Techniques: Understanding the Reduced Damage in Cell Membranes

Regarding the importance of the biological effects of nanomaterials, there is still limited knowledge about the binding structure and stability of the protein corona on nanomaterials and the subsequent impacts. Here we designed a hard serum albumin protein corona (BSA) on CTAB-coated gold nanorods (AuNRs) and captured the structure of protein adsorption using synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption spectroscopy, microbeam X-ray fluorescent spectroscopy, and circular dichroism in combination with molecular dynamics simulations. The protein adsorption is attributed to at least 12 Au–S bonds and the stable corona reduced the cytotoxicity of CTAB/AuNRs. These combined strategies using physical, chemical, and biological approaches will improve our understanding of the protective effects of protein coronas against the toxicity of nanomaterials. These findings have shed light on a new strategy for studying interactions between proteins and nanomaterials, and this information will help further guide the rational design of nanomaterials for safe and effective biomedical applications

Revealing the Binding Structure of the Protein Corona on Gold Nanorods Using Synchrotron Radiation-Based Techniques: Understanding the Reduced Damage in Cell Membranes

Regarding the importance of the biological effects of nanomaterials, there is still limited knowledge about the binding structure and stability of the protein corona on nanomaterials and the subsequent impacts. Here we designed a hard serum albumin protein corona (BSA) on CTAB-coated gold nanorods (AuNRs) and captured the structure of protein adsorption using synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption spectroscopy, microbeam X-ray fluorescent spectroscopy, and circular dichroism in combination with molecular dynamics simulations. The protein adsorption is attributed to at least 12 Au–S bonds and the stable corona reduced the cytotoxicity of CTAB/AuNRs. These combined strategies using physical, chemical, and biological approaches will improve our understanding of the protective effects of protein coronas against the toxicity of nanomaterials. These findings have shed light on a new strategy for studying interactions between proteins and nanomaterials, and this information will help further guide the rational design of nanomaterials for safe and effective biomedical applications

Revealing the Binding Structure of the Protein Corona on Gold Nanorods Using Synchrotron Radiation-Based Techniques: Understanding the Reduced Damage in Cell Membranes

Regarding the importance of the biological effects of nanomaterials, there is still limited knowledge about the binding structure and stability of the protein corona on nanomaterials and the subsequent impacts. Here we designed a hard serum albumin protein corona (BSA) on CTAB-coated gold nanorods (AuNRs) and captured the structure of protein adsorption using synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption spectroscopy, microbeam X-ray fluorescent spectroscopy, and circular dichroism in combination with molecular dynamics simulations. The protein adsorption is attributed to at least 12 Au–S bonds and the stable corona reduced the cytotoxicity of CTAB/AuNRs. These combined strategies using physical, chemical, and biological approaches will improve our understanding of the protective effects of protein coronas against the toxicity of nanomaterials. These findings have shed light on a new strategy for studying interactions between proteins and nanomaterials, and this information will help further guide the rational design of nanomaterials for safe and effective biomedical applications

Bactericidal Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Lactobacilli and the Underlying Mechanism

While the antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been demonstrated across a spectrum of bacterial pathogens, the effects of AgNPs on the beneficial bacteria are less clear. To address this issue, we compared the antibacterial activity of AgNPs against two beneficial lactobacilli (<i>Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus</i> and <i>Lactobacillus casei</i>) and two common opportunistic pathogens (<i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>). Our results demonstrate that those lactobacilli are highly susceptible to AgNPs, while the opportunistic pathogens are not. Acidic environment caused by the lactobacilli is associated with the bactericidal effects of AgNPs. Our mechanistic study suggests that the acidic growth environment of lactobacilli promotes AgNP dissolution and hydroxyl radical (•OH) overproduction. Furthermore, increases in silver ions (Ag⁺) and •OH deplete the glutathione pool inside the cell, which is associated with the increase in cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). High levels of ROS may further induce DNA damage and lead to cell death. When <i>E. coli</i> and <i>S. aureus</i> are placed in a similar acidic environment, they also become more susceptible to AgNPs. This study provides a mechanistic description of a pH-Ag⁺-•OH bactericidal pathway and will contribute to the responsible development of products containing AgNPs

Review of Jeremy Burchardt, The Allotment Movement in England, 1793-1873 (Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2002)

<p>(A) The serum miR-210 expression in 168 BC patients and 104 controls. The upper and lower limits of the boxes and the lines inside the boxes indicate the 75th and 25th percentiles and the median, respectively. The upper and lower horizontal bars denote the 90th and 10th percentiles, respectively. (B) Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of the serum miR-210 to detect BC patients. The AUC of 0.898 (95% CI 0.855–0.931) indicates good discriminative power.</p

MiR-210 is induced by hypoxia in CRC cell lines.

<p>(A) MiR-210 expression in CRC cell lines. (B, C) HIF1α mRNA expression in HT-29 (B) and SW480 (C) cells under hypoxic conditions. (D, E) MiR-210 expression in HT-29 (D) and SW480 (E) cells under hypoxic conditions. The data are presented as the mean of three measurements, and the error bars represent the SD of the mean. *<i>P</i><0.05.</p

MiR-210 expression and clinicaopathological feature in BC patients [median (interquartile range)].

<p>^aStatistical significance was determined by the Kruskal-Wallis test.</p><p>^bStatistical significance was determined by the Mann-Whitey U test.</p><p>^c The mean age of the patients is 64.8.</p><p>MiR-210 expression and clinicaopathological feature in BC patients [median (interquartile range)].</p

Comparison of circulating miR-210 expressions in different groups.

<p>(A) Comparison of serum miR-210 expressions between pre- and post-operative samples from BC patients. The serum miR-210 levels were significantly reduced in paired post-operative samples compared with those in pre-operative samples (<i>P</i><0.0001). (B) Scatter plot of miR-210 levels in the pre-operative (n = 168), post-operative (n = 40) and relapse (n = 30) serum groups.</p

The miR-210 expression in primary BC tissues and BC cell lines.

<p>(A) Comparison of miR-210 levels in 40 pairs of primary BC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. The expression level of miR-210 was significant higher in primary BC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues (<i>P</i><0.001). (B) The expression levels of miR-210 in BC cell lines were higher than in a human uroepithelial cell line.</p

MiR-210 mediates the hypoxia-induced migration and invasion ability of CRC cells.

<p>(A, B) Transwell migration and invasion assays of HT-29 and SW480 cells were performed after transfection with the miR-210 mimics or the negative control (NC) under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. (C, D) Transwell migration and invasion assays of HT-29 and SW480 cells were performed after transfection with the miR-210 inhibitor or the negative control under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. In all panels, the results are representative of at least three independent experiments.</p