Nanomaterials/nanomedicines will absorb various biomolecules including proteins, nucleic acids and metabolites to form a biocorona coating once entering biological or environmental systems. The nanomaterial biocorona endows nanomaterials with new biological identity and influences their biological behaviors and fates including cellular uptake, immune response, biodistribution, elimination, etc. The analysis of nanomaterial biocoronas benefits in-depth understanding of the pharmacology and toxicology of nanomaterials, which is crucial to guide the safe-by-design of nanostructures and the clinic translation of nanomedicines. However, the high complexity of biological systems and the dynamic interactions between biomolecules pose great challenges for the analysis and characterization of nanomaterial biocoronas.
Researchers led by Prof. CHEN Chunying from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Prof. Iseult Lynch from University of Birmingham recently have made important progress in the characterization methodology of nanomaterials biocoronas. The study was published in Nature Protocols.
For more than a decade, Prof. CHEN’s group has been at the forefront of developing the analytical methodologies of protein corona on nanomaterials and studying their biological effects. Based on synchrotron radiation facilities, multi-omics, molecular interaction analysis, molecular dynamics simulations and isotope labeling, they developed sensitive, in-situ, and quantification approaches of nanomaterial biocoronas analysis. With these techniques, the researchers revealed the dynamic adsorption and evolution of protein coronas on nanomaterials and achieved a series of innovative research findings (Nat Nanotechnol, 2022, 17, 993-1003; Nat Nanotechnol, 2021, 16, 708-716; Nat Nanotechnol, 2019, 14, 719-727; Nat Commun, 2022, 13, 5389; PNAS 2022, 119, 23 e2200363119; PNAS, 2011, 108, 16968-16973; J Am Chem Soc, 2022, 144, 21, 9184-9205; J Am Chem Soc, 2013, 135, 17359-17368; etc.). These advanced techniques are key and cutting-edge analytical tools for the study of nano-biological effects, and greatly promote the development of nanomedicines.
Based on the previous research works, the Protocol paper summarized the technical details of analysis procedures of nanomaterials biocoronas. The optimized workflow included the formation, isolation, quantification, identification and in situ characterization of dynamic interactions of nanomaterials biocoronas including the proteins corona and metabolites corona. The technical proposal involved several different analysis techniques, such as electron microscopy (e.g., TEM, Cryo-TEM), mass spectroscopy (e.g., CE-MS, LC-MS/MS), synchrotron radiation-based methodologies (e.g., SR-CD, SR-XAFS), molecular interaction analysis (e.g., QCM-D, BLI, SPR, ITC) and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, realizing the comprehensive and systematic characterization of the physicochemical properties, composition and in-situ dynamic interactions of nanomaterials biocoronas.
The Protocol described the detailed procedures of the methods mentioned above and served as a practical research strategy for the comprehensive analysis of nanomaterials biocoronas. “It is not only applicable to elucidate the formation, evolution and dynamic interaction process of nanomaterials biocoronas, but also provides a powerful tool for revealing the mechanism behind the complex biological effects of nanomaterials, possessing significant application values in many research fields such as nanoscience, biomedicine, toxicology and environmental science, etc.” CHEN Chunying says, a Professor of NCNST and the corresponding author of the current work.
Figure 1. The overall procedure and workflow of analysis of nanomaterial biocoronas (Image by CHEN Chunying et al)
Contact: CHEN Chunying
National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST)
E-mail: chenchy@nanoctr.cn
