Soft matter nanomaterials. Biological fate studies of self-assembly of nanoparticles in complex fluids using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Abstract

In the past 20 years, nanomaterials gained an increased interest as new therapeutic tools, whereas the broad range of materials and the specific properties occurring at nanoscale dimensions offer various opportunities for new nanomaterials with a potential clinical use. Further development of nanomaterials for therapy, requires the understanding on how nanomaterials unique properties influence their interaction with a biological matrix. Furthermore, as soon as nanomaterials are administered into an organism, biomolecules that are present in physiological fluids will interact and adsorb on the nanomaterial surface and form the so-called protein corona, leading to an alteration of the surface properties. Hence, the interaction of nanomaterials with biological fluid can have consequences with regard to stability, circulation lifetime, cellular uptake and biological fate. In this work different types of supramolecular polymeric nanoparticles were investigated in vitro, inside cells, as well as in vivo aiming to understand better the interaction of nanomaterials with biological matter and their biological fate. Using fluorescence (cross-) correlation spectroscopy as main technique was further supported by electronic and optical microscopy, SAXS and DLS.