Role of cationic carbosilane dendrons and metallic core of functionalized gold nanoparticles in their interaction with human serum albumin

Abstract Functionalization of gold nanoparticles by different chemical groups is an important issue regarding the biomedical applications of such particles. Therefore we have analyzed the interaction between gold nanoparticles functionalized by carbosilane dendrons with human serum albumin at different pHs, and in the presence of the protein unfolding agent, guanidine hydrochloride, using circular dichroism, zeta-potential and fluorescence quenching. The effect of a nanoparticle dendronization and pure dendrons on the immunoreactivity of albumin was estimated using ELISA. In addition, the tool to estimate the binding capacity of dendronized gold nanoparticles using a hydrophobic fluorescent probe 1,8-ANS (1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid) was chosen. We concluded that the effect of a nanoparticle on the structure, immunochemical properties and unfolding of albumin significantly decreased with second and third generations dendrons attached. Differences in pH dependence of the interaction between nanoparticles, their dendrons and albumin showed several effects of the “dendritic corona” and the metallic part of nanoparticle on the protein. These interactions indicate changes in the immunoreactivity of the protein, whereas dendron coating per se had no effect. Thus, dendronization of gold nanoparticles helps to shield them from interactions with plasma proteins.