Exploring gold nanoparticles interaction with mucins: A spectroscopic-based study

Abstract

The interaction between two mucin types (mucin from porcine stomach - PGM and mucin from bovine submaxillary glands - BSM) and gold nanoparticles (GNPs) of various size (5, 20 and 40 nm) and functionalization (with cysteamine or thioglycolic acid) was studied under physiological conditions, in order to investigate the affinity of the nanoparticles to the proteins. Different methods are employed to monitor the interactions: UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime, circular dichroism and transmission electron microscopy. These studies have shown the formation of a complex between GNPs and both PGM and BSM. This aspect could be of great importance for the use of gold nanoparticles for biomedical purposes in those diseases where qualitative and quantitative mucin anomalies play an essential role in mucus composition and rheology.

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance as a Tool to Study Protein Corona Formation on Nanoparticles

“…102 Barbero et al investigated the interaction of mucins of two types with Au NPs of three sizes and different capping ligands (cysteamine or thioglycolic acid). 103 They found that the affinity of proteins to NPs is affected to a greater extent by the capping agent rather than the size. The proteins showed the least affinity toward positively charged NPs.…”

Disassembling the complexity of mucus barriers to develop a fast screening tool for early drug discovery

“…14 Ultimately, drug diffusion and mucus clearance mechanisms are hampered and bacteria find a suitable environment to establish and proliferate that results in lung failure. Different studies have reported chemical binding of different entities to mucin that has direct influence over nanoparticle penetration 15,16 and reduced antibacterial potential of colistin, 17 among others. 18 Sputum -expectorated mass that contains mucus, blood, saliva, among others -is often considered as a first rough ex vivo model of CF mucus due to the low invasiveness to retrieve it when compared to physiological mucus.…”

Mucin binding to therapeutic molecules: The case of antimicrobial agents used in cystic fibrosis

“…Inhaled tobramycin associated with aztreonam lysine is usually the first line of treatment for early infections. The affinity of some drugs for mucin has been previously studied using spectroscopic methods by Pontremoli et al (Pontremoli et al, 2015), and by chromatographic methods by Gargano et al (Gargano et al, 2014), whereas Barbero et al have investigated the interactions of both carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with mucin (Barbero et al, 2018(Barbero et al, , 2016). Yet, much needs still to be uncover about mucin-drugs interaction and the physico-chemical parameters that govern the affinity of drugs for mucin.…”