ABSTRACT
A variety of studies have reported the effects of protein corona formation on cellular response to NP exposure. For example, uptake of carboxyl-functionalized NPs by HeLa cells was shown to be strongly suppressed in the presence of blood plasma proteins in comparison with bare NPs (Jiang et al. 2010b). Immunoglobulin binding caused NP
CONTENTS
8.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 133 8.2 Effects of Protein Corona on Uptake Efciency ............................................................ 135 8.3 Analysis of Endocytosis Pathways Involved in NP Uptake ........................................ 135 8.4 Dose Dependence of NP Uptake ..................................................................................... 137 8.5 Modeling Forces Acting on Membrane-Bound NPs .................................................... 139 8.6 Passive Uptake of NPs ....................................................................................................... 140 8.7 Conclusions and Outlook ................................................................................................. 142 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... 143 References ..................................................................................................................................... 144
opsonization, thereby promoting receptor-mediated phagocytosis (Owens and Peppas 2006). Suppressing protein absorption onto NPs by coating them with polyethylene glycol decreased NP uptake by macrophages (Kah et al. 2009) and resulted in longer circulation times and altered biodistribution upon injection into mice (Owens and Peppas 2006). It was also pointed out that adsorbed proteins may be transported across membranes alongside the NPs, bringing them into compartments that they would not normally reach (Klein 2007). Understanding the formation and persistence of the protein corona on NPs is therefore critically important for the elucidation, interpretation, and assessment of cellular NP uptake.
