ABSTRACT
Functional nanostructures for biomedical applications are mainly used in the therapeutic and diagnostic fields as well as biomimetic implant materials. This chapter provides a concise overview and scope of click chemistry and their application in nano-bioconjugated vectors. It focuses on gold and iron oxide nanoparticles as most investigated examples for highly functional protein-conjugated nanoprobes. When nanoparticles (NPs) are injected into the blood stream, they might interact with organic molecules such as lipids, proteins, nucleic acids even metabolites owning to their small size and large surface to mass ratio. Agglomerated NPs present uneven surfaces that cause structural changes in protein conformation and consequently increase the rate of nonspecific interactions. The influence of particles size and curvature cannot be ignored as it implants an influence on protein adsorption. The covalent affinity of NP–protein conjugates mainly depends on the interactions of protein side chains to the NPs, surface conjugation and functionalization of NPs.
