Inorganic enzyme? Ceria nanoparticles exhibit unique oxidase‐like activity at acidic pH values. These redox catalysts can be used in immunoassays (ELISA) when modified with targeting ligands (see picture; light blue and yellow structures are nanoparticles with attached ligands). This modification allows both for binding and for detection by the catalytic oxidation of sensitive colorimetric dyes (e.g. TMB).
Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) have shown great potential as antioxidant and radioprotective agents for applications in cancer therapy. Recently, various polymer-coated nanoceria preparations have been developed to improve their aqueous solubility and allow for surface functionalization of these nanoparticles. However, the interaction of polymer-coated nanoceria with cells, their uptake mechanism and subcellular localization are poorly understood. Herein, we engineered polymer-coated cerium oxide nanoparticles with different surface charge (positive, negative and neutral) and studied their internalization and toxicity in normal and cancer cell lines. Results showed that nanoceria with a positive or neutral charge enters most of the cell lines studied, while nanoceria with a negative charge internalizes mostly in the cancer cell lines. Moreover, upon entry into the cells, nanoceria is localized to different cell compartments (e.g. cytoplasm and lysosomes) depending on the nanoparticle's surface charge. The internalization and subcellular localization of nanoceria plays a key role in the nanoparticles’ cytotoxicity profile, exhibiting significant toxicity when they localize in the lysosomes of the cancer cells. In contrast, minimal toxicity is observed when they localize into the cytoplasm or do not enter the cells. Taken together, these results indicate that the differential surface-charge-dependent localization of nanoceria in normal and cancer cells plays a critical role in the nanoparticles’ toxicity profile.
Anorganisches Enzym? Ceroxidnanopartikel zeigen einzigartige Oxidaseaktivität bei niedrigen pH‐Werten. Diese Redoxkatalysatoren können in Immunassays (ELISA) verwendet werden, wenn sie mit geeigneten Liganden modifiziert sind (siehe Bild; hellblau, gelb: Nanopartikel mit Liganden). Diese Modifizierung ermöglicht sowohl die Bindung als auch die Detektion durch katalytische Oxidation empfindlicher kolorimetrischer Farbstoffe (z. B. TMB).
The reliable and sensitive detection of cancer-specific biomarkers is important for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Hence, detection of these biomarkers has to be reliably and rapidly performed in diverse settings. A limitation of the conventional biomarker-screening method of ELISA is the employment of labile components, such as hydrogen peroxide and horseradish peroxidase. Previously, we reported that nanoceria is able to oxidize various colorimertic dyes at acidic pH, such as TMB and AzBTS, and an assay was designed for screening the folate receptor. Herein, we show that the ability of nanoceria to oxidize a substrate can be tuned by modulating the pH. Results showed that nanoceria can oxidize the non-fluorescent substrate ampliflu, either to the very stable fluorescent product resorufin at pH 7.0 or to the non-fluorescent resazurin at pH 4.0. Based on these findings, we conjugated Protein G to immobilize antibodies on the surface of nanoceria, in order to detect the expression of prototypic cancer biomarkers at pH 7.0, such as the folate receptor and EpCAM. We found that within 3 h, nanoceria identified the expression of the folate receptor and EpCAM on lung carcinoma and breast adenocarcinoma cells respectively. Traditional ELISA had a readout time of 15 h and a higher detection threshold, while requiring multiple washing steps. Considering these results and nanoceria’s ability to oxidize ampliflu to its stable fluorescent product at neutral pH, the use of antibody-carrying nanoceria in the lab and point-of-care molecular diagnostics is anticipated.
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