Non-natural Amino Acids Containing Peptide-Capped Gold Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Application

Abstract

Peptide-based capping agents for gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are possible alternatives for capping and derivatizing GNPs, but suffer from a major disadvantage of sensitivity toward non specific proteases, which may limit their in vivo utility. Using non-natural analogs of natural α-amino acids offer an attractive alternate strategy to circumvent this potential bottleneck in realizing full potential of peptide based capping gents for GNPs for biological applications. Here, we have designed and developed pentapeptides containing non-natural amino acid (α,β-dehydrophenylalanine and α-aminoisobutyric acid) as capping agents for GNPs. All these peptides were able to efficiently cap GNPs and peptide induced aggregation was not observed. Peptide capped GNPs showed minimal cytotoxicity to mammalian cell lines (HeLa and L929) as well as mice spleenocytes. They encapsulated small drug like molecules and peptide capped GNPs entrapping drugs were more efficient in killing HeLa cells compared to the free drug. Therefore, these non-natural amino acid containing peptide-capped GNPs may be further developed as alternate drug delivery vehicles.

Advances in the application of gold nanoparticles in bone tissue engineering

“…GNPs functionalized by peptides, which are also named capping agents, avoid aggregation in ionic solutions. The whole system terminated by peptides will have pH responsiveness, self-assembly, and enhanced biological stability, all of which facilitate the delivery and controlled release [38][39][40]. GNPs modified by peptides can improve cellular uptake, nuclear transport, and intracellul [41].…”

“…Based on the latest studies of the peptide-functionalized gold nanoparticles (peptide-GNPs) on delivering drugs, siRNA, imaging, etc. [39,[42][43][44], there are sufficient reasons to look forward to their prospective delivery and medical imaging applications in the treatment of osteosarcoma and BTE.…”

Introduction to Nanotheranostics

“…Peptide capped Au NPs entrapping drugs were more efficient in killing HeLa cells compared to the free drug, exploring their use as alternate drug delivery vehicles (Parween et al 2013). Peptide capped Au NPs entrapping drugs were more efficient in killing HeLa cells compared to the free drug, exploring their use as alternate drug delivery vehicles (Parween et al 2013).…”

Spectrophotometric and visual detection of the herbicide atrazine by exploiting hydrogen bond-induced aggregation of melamine-modified gold nanoparticles

“…Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have drawn intense attention in many research areas because of their unique optical, chemical, electronic and catalytic properties [13,14]. Many chemical modifications have been developed to obtain surfacefunctionalized AuNPs with aptamers [15], amino acids [16], thiol compounds [17] and antibodies [18]. AuNPs have been widely used in many analytical strategies, such as colorimetry [19], fluorescence [20], electrochemistry [21] and biological detection [22].…”