LbL Assembly of Albumin on Nitric Oxide-Releasing Silica Nanoparticles Using Suramin, a Polyanion Drug, as an Interlayer Linker.

Preformed protein corona of nanoparticles can be utilized as a promising formulation strategy for improving nano drug delivery. Nitric oxide (NO) is a labile molecule with extensive therapeutic implications. In this study, we test whether preformation of protein coatings can enhance the performance of NO-delivering nanoparticles. S-Nitroso (SNO) silica nanoparticles (SNO-SiNPs) were prepared using a nanoprecipitation method. For the first time, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used to coat NO-releasing nanoparticles, facilitated by a polyanionic drug, suramin, under a layer-by-layer (LbL) scheme. Bare and coated nanoparticles were characterized by zeta-potential, size, and spectroscopic measurements. We demonstrate that albumin/suramin-surface coassembly has advantages in preventing particle aggregation during lyophilization, controlling NO release and exerting an enhanced anticancer effect.