Gold nanoparticles-protein conjugate studies: Centrifugation and binding studies

Abstract

Nanoparticles are very reactive and possessing enhanced quantum effects due to their small size. As such, there has been increased research into the field of nanoparticles. This rapid expansion of nanotechnology especially in the biomedical field has raised concerns because the knowledge of potential cytotoxicity of these nanoparticles is limited. Colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in particular have gained interests due to its optical properties and relatively inertness. It is important to understand how AuNPs interact with biomolecules and their effects on the biological environment. This project was geared towards investigating the interactions between AuNPs and two abundant proteins in the human plasma: serum albumin and fibrinogen. The AuNP-protein conjugate were characterized by size, zeta potential and the amount of proteins adsorbed onto each AuNP. The effects of centrifugation (an important equipment when working with nanoparticles and proteins) on the conjugate were also investigated by varying the centrifugation parameters.