The efficacy and specificity of protein, DNA, and RNA-based drugs make them popular in the clinic; however, these drugs are often delivered via injection, requiring skilled medical personnel, and producing...

Studying the toxicity of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) in context of intranasal administration will help researchers in building depot platforms for this non-invasive route of delivery.

Plasmonic gold nanostructures are a prevalent tool in modern hypersensitive analytical techniques such as photoablation, bioimaging, and biosensing. Recent studies have shown that gold nanostructures generate transient nanobubbles through localized heating and have been found in various biomedical applications. However, the current method of plasmonic nanoparticle cavitation events has several disadvantages, specifically including small metal nanostructures (≤10 nm) which lack size control, tuneability, and tissue localization by use of ultrashort pulses (ns, ps) and high-energy lasers which can result in tissue and cellular damage. This research investigates a method to immobilize sub-10 nm AuNPs (3.5 and 5 nm) onto a chemically modified thiol-rich surface of Qβ virus-like particles. These findings demonstrate that the multivalent display of sub-10 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) caused a profound and disproportionate increase in photocavitation by upward of 5−7-fold and significantly lowered the laser fluency by 4-fold when compared to individual sub-10 nm AuNPs. Furthermore, computational modeling showed that the cooling time of QβAuNP scaffolds is significantly extended than that of individual AuNPs, proving greater control of laser fluency and nanobubble generation as seen in the experimental data. Ultimately, these findings showed how QβAuNP composites are more effective at nanobubble generation than current methods of plasmonic nanoparticle cavitation.

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Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8) is becoming popular in research for its potential in antigen protection and for providing a thermally stable, slow-release platform. While papers applying these materials for immunological applications are aplenty in literature, studies that explore the biosafety of ZIF-8 in mammals - especially when administered intranasally - are not well represented. We checked the body clearance of uncoated and ZIF-coated liposomes and observed that the release slowed as ZIF-8 is easily degraded by mucosal fluid in the nasal cavity. We delivered varying doses of ZIF-8, checked their short- and long-term effects on diagnostic proteins found in blood serum, and found no noticeable differences from the saline control group. We also studied their lung diffusing capacity and tissue morphology; neither showed significant changes in morphology or function.