In vitro characterization of nanoparticles in relation to their in vivo fate
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Date
2021-06-22
Authors
Vasylaki, Anastasiia
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Abstract
The parameters currently used for the characterization of nanoparticles, such as size and zeta potential, are not able to reflect the performance of a nanocarrier in the biological environment. Therefore, more thorough in vitro characterization is required to predict their behaviour in vivo, where the nanoparticles acquire a new biological identity due to interactions with biomolecules. In the present study, we performed in vitro characterization upon contact with biological fluids for lipid nanocapsules (LNC) with varying sizes (50 nm and 85 nm) and surface charges (neutral/positive/negative). Namely, the stability of LNC in blood was investigated using FRET method, and protein corona formation was examined through the change of size and zeta potential, as well as protein quantification. The most pronounced degradation in blood was observed for LNC 50 nm with PEG coating (negatively charged), while the thickness of corona and amount of bound protein were also the highest for this formulation, which points out an association between protein corona formation and loss of nanoparticle integrity in blood. On the other hand, LNC 85 nm with PEG coating have not demonstrated any loss of integrity upon incubation with blood, which makes them a suitable formulation for future applications in drug delivery. The data obtained in this work was in good correspondence with the pharmacokinetic behaviour of LNC (unpublished data), therefore, comprehensive in vitro characterization can give a good indication of nanoparticle fate in the biological environment.
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Keywords
Lipid nanocapsules (LNC), Nanocarriers