RGD-HK Peptide-Functionalized Gold Nanorods Emerge as Targeted Biocompatible Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications
Abstract Gold nanorods (GNRs) have been nominated as a promising candidate for a variety of biological applications; however, the cationic surfactant layer that surrounds a nanostructure places limits on its biological applicability. Herein, CTAB-GNRs were functionalized via a ligand exchange method...
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SpringerOpen
2019-01-01
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Series: | Nanoscale Research Letters |
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Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s11671-018-2828-3 |
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author | Sohameh Mohebbi Tahereh Tohidi Moghadam Maryam Nikkhah Mehrdad Behmanesh |
author_facet | Sohameh Mohebbi Tahereh Tohidi Moghadam Maryam Nikkhah Mehrdad Behmanesh |
author_sort | Sohameh Mohebbi |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Abstract Gold nanorods (GNRs) have been nominated as a promising candidate for a variety of biological applications; however, the cationic surfactant layer that surrounds a nanostructure places limits on its biological applicability. Herein, CTAB-GNRs were functionalized via a ligand exchange method using a (C(HK)4-mini PEG-RGD)-peptide to target the overexpressed αvβ3 integrin in cancerous cells, increase the biocompatibility, and gain the ability of gene/drug delivery, simultaneously. To confirm an acceptable functionalization, UV–Visible, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy, zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy of nanostructures were done. MTT assay was applied to study the cytotoxicity of nanostructures on two cell lines, HeLa and MDA-MB-231, as positive and negative αvβ3 integrin receptors, respectively. The cytotoxic effect of peptide-functionalized GNRs (peptide-f-GNRs) was less than that of CTAB-coated GNRs (CTAB-GNRs) for both cell lines. Uptake of peptide-f-GNRs and CTAB-GNRs was evaluated in two cell lines, using dark-field imaging and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Peptide-f-GNRs showed a proper cell uptake on the HeLa rather than MDA-MB-231 cell line according to the RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) sequence in the peptide. The ability of peptide-f-GNRs to conjugate to antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) was also confirmed using zeta potential, which was due to the repeated HK (His-Lys) sequence inside the peptide. The result of these tests highlights the functionalization method as a convenient and cost-effective strategy for promising applications of targeted GNRs in the biological gene/drug delivery systems, and the repeated histidine-lysine pattern could be a useful carrier for negatively charged drug/gene delivery, too. Graphical Abstract |
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language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-12T07:06:56Z |
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series | Nanoscale Research Letters |
spelling | doaj.art-318042c443db415aa77d47b148cc81ec2023-09-02T23:20:24ZengSpringerOpenNanoscale Research Letters1931-75731556-276X2019-01-0114111210.1186/s11671-018-2828-3RGD-HK Peptide-Functionalized Gold Nanorods Emerge as Targeted Biocompatible Nanocarriers for Biomedical ApplicationsSohameh Mohebbi0Tahereh Tohidi Moghadam1Maryam Nikkhah2Mehrdad Behmanesh3Department of Nanobiotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityDepartment of Nanobiotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityDepartment of Nanobiotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityDepartment of Nanobiotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares UniversityAbstract Gold nanorods (GNRs) have been nominated as a promising candidate for a variety of biological applications; however, the cationic surfactant layer that surrounds a nanostructure places limits on its biological applicability. Herein, CTAB-GNRs were functionalized via a ligand exchange method using a (C(HK)4-mini PEG-RGD)-peptide to target the overexpressed αvβ3 integrin in cancerous cells, increase the biocompatibility, and gain the ability of gene/drug delivery, simultaneously. To confirm an acceptable functionalization, UV–Visible, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy, zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy of nanostructures were done. MTT assay was applied to study the cytotoxicity of nanostructures on two cell lines, HeLa and MDA-MB-231, as positive and negative αvβ3 integrin receptors, respectively. The cytotoxic effect of peptide-functionalized GNRs (peptide-f-GNRs) was less than that of CTAB-coated GNRs (CTAB-GNRs) for both cell lines. Uptake of peptide-f-GNRs and CTAB-GNRs was evaluated in two cell lines, using dark-field imaging and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Peptide-f-GNRs showed a proper cell uptake on the HeLa rather than MDA-MB-231 cell line according to the RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) sequence in the peptide. The ability of peptide-f-GNRs to conjugate to antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) was also confirmed using zeta potential, which was due to the repeated HK (His-Lys) sequence inside the peptide. The result of these tests highlights the functionalization method as a convenient and cost-effective strategy for promising applications of targeted GNRs in the biological gene/drug delivery systems, and the repeated histidine-lysine pattern could be a useful carrier for negatively charged drug/gene delivery, too. Graphical Abstracthttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s11671-018-2828-3Gold nanorodsPeptide functionalizationBiocompatibilityDrug delivery systemsTargeting |
spellingShingle | Sohameh Mohebbi Tahereh Tohidi Moghadam Maryam Nikkhah Mehrdad Behmanesh RGD-HK Peptide-Functionalized Gold Nanorods Emerge as Targeted Biocompatible Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications Nanoscale Research Letters Gold nanorods Peptide functionalization Biocompatibility Drug delivery systems Targeting |
title | RGD-HK Peptide-Functionalized Gold Nanorods Emerge as Targeted Biocompatible Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications |
title_full | RGD-HK Peptide-Functionalized Gold Nanorods Emerge as Targeted Biocompatible Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications |
title_fullStr | RGD-HK Peptide-Functionalized Gold Nanorods Emerge as Targeted Biocompatible Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications |
title_full_unstemmed | RGD-HK Peptide-Functionalized Gold Nanorods Emerge as Targeted Biocompatible Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications |
title_short | RGD-HK Peptide-Functionalized Gold Nanorods Emerge as Targeted Biocompatible Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications |
title_sort | rgd hk peptide functionalized gold nanorods emerge as targeted biocompatible nanocarriers for biomedical applications |
topic | Gold nanorods Peptide functionalization Biocompatibility Drug delivery systems Targeting |
url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s11671-018-2828-3 |
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