Nanoparticle protein corona evolution: from biological impact to biomarker discovery

Nanoscale. 2022 Feb 3;14(5):1606-1620. doi: 10.1039/d1nr06580g.

Abstract

Nanoparticles exposed to biological fluids such as blood, quickly interact with their surrounding milieu resulting in a biological coating that results in large part as a function of the physicochemical properties of the nanomaterial. The large nanoparticle surface area-to-volume ratio further augments binding of biological molecules and the resulting biomolecular or protein corona, once thought of as problematic biofouling, is now viewed as a rich source of biological information that can guide the development of nanomedicines. This review gives an overview of the utility of the protein corona in proteomic profiling and discusses how a better understanding of nano-bio interactions can accelerate the clinical translation of nanomedicines and facilitate the identification of disease-specific biomarkers. With the FDA requirement of the protein corona analysis of nanoparticles in place, it is envisaged that analyzing the protein corona of nanoparticles on a case-by-case basis can provide highly valuable nano-bio interface information that can aid and improve their clinical translation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers
  • Nanomedicine
  • Nanoparticles*
  • Protein Corona*
  • Proteomics

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Protein Corona