Particle Physico-chemical Properties
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers have developed various methods to characterize nanomaterials and their binding to proteins in biofluids, thus enabling characterization of initial biointeractions.
Nanomaterial Characterization
Characterizing the physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials will help to determine their biointeractions. These characterizations present significant challenges to the researcher because of small nanomaterial sizes, their complex structures, potential property changes during synthesis and functionalization, sensitivity to and interaction with the surrounding environment (e.g., biological systems), etc. Nonetheless PNNL researchers have developed numerous methods to accomplish these characterizations. PNNL's Nanomaterial Safety Assessment website discusses some of the available capabilities used in nanomaterial characterization, including:
- Bulk Chemical and Physical Characterization
- Industrial Processing of Nanomaterials
- Nanomaterials Synthesis and Surface Modification
- Nanoparticle Size and Morphology Characterization
- Nanoscale Characterization
- Reactivity of Nanoparticles.
Characterizing Initial Interactions of Nanomaterials with their Environment
Characterizing initial nanomaterial biointeractions also holds challenges for the researcher, but are important to the understanding of initial mechanisms of protein binding and cell entry that may be key to particle internalization, and may provide insight into safe nanomaterial synthesis and functionalization. As an example, protein binding plays a critical role in determining the biodistribution, clearance, and inflammatory potential of nanoparticles. PNNL has developed proteomics approaches to measure both the abundance and stoichiometry of nanomaterial-associated proteins, and mathematical models to predict protein binding properties of the nanomaterials based upon their surface physical and chemical properties. A dual quantitation strategy (18O labeling and label free) was employed to accurately measure differential and dynamic binding of proteins in biofluid to nanomaterials in a time course setting. Quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) modeling was then employed to formalize the physico-chemical and surface properties of nanomaterials which determine the initial interaction of nanomaterials with proteins in biofluid.
Contact: Joel G. Pounds