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Dawson, Kenneth A.
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Dawson, Kenneth A.
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Dawson, Kenneth A.
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Now showing 1 - 10 of 33
- PublicationRegimes of Biomolecular Ultrasmall Nanoparticle InteractionsUltrasmall nanoparticles (USNPs), usually defined as NPs with core in the size range 1–3 nm, are a class of nanomaterials which show unique physicochemical properties, often different from larger NPs of the same material. Moreover, there are also indications that USNPs might have distinct properties in their biological interactions. For example, recent in vivo experiments suggest that some USNPs escape the liver, spleen, and kidney, in contrast to larger NPs that are strongly accumulated in the liver. Here, we present a simple approach to study the biomolecular interactions at the USNPs bio-nanointerface, opening up the possibility to systematically link these observations to microscopic molecular principles.
324Scopus© Citations 69 - PublicationNanoparticle Adhesion to the Cell Membrane and Its effect on Nanoparticle Uptake Efficiency(American Chemical Society, 2013-01-09)
; ; ; ; ; The interactions between nanosized particles and living systems are commonly mediated by what adsorbs to the nanoparticle in the biological environment, its biomolecular corona, rather than the pristine surface. Here, we characterize the adhesion toward the cell membrane of nanoparticles of different material and size and study how this is modulated by the presence or absence of a corona on the nanoparticle surface. The results are corroborated with adsorption to simple model supported lipid bilayers using a quartz crystal microbalance. We conclude that the adsorption of proteins on the nanoparticle surface strongly reduces nanoparticle adhesion in comparison to what is observed for the bare material. Nanoparticle uptake is described as a two-step process, where the nanoparticles initially adhere to the cell membrane and subsequently are internalized by the cells via energy-dependent pathways. The lowered adhesion in the presence of proteins thereby causes a concomitant decrease in nanoparticle uptake efficiency. The presence of a biomolecular corona may confer specific interactions between the nanoparticle-corona complex and the cell surface including triggering of regulated cell uptake. An important effect of the corona is, however, a reduction in the purely unspecific interactions between the bare material and the cell membrane, which in itself disregarding specific interactions, causes a decrease in cellular uptake. We suggest that future nanoparticle-cell studies include, together with characterization of size, charge, and dispersion stability, an evaluation of the adhesion properties of the material to relevant membranes.1686Scopus© Citations 579 - PublicationMapping of Molecular Structure of the Nanoscale Surface in Bionanoparticles(ACS, 2016-12-22)
; ; ; ; Characterizing the orientation of covalently conjugated proteins on nanoparticles, produced for in vitro and in vivo targeting, though an important feature of such a system, has proved challenging. Although extensive physicochemical characterization of targeting nanoparticles can be addressed in detail, relevant biological characterization of the nanointerface is crucial in order to select suitable nanomaterials for further in vitro or in vivo experiments. In this work, we adopt a methodology using antibody fragments (Fab) conjugated to gold nanoparticles (immunogold) to map the available epitopes on a transferrin grafted silica particle (SiO2−PEG8−Tf) as a proxy methodology to predict nanoparticle biological function, and therefore cellular receptor engagement. Data from the adopted method suggest that, on average, only∼3.5% of proteins grafted on the SiO2−PEG8−Tf nanoparticle surface have a favorable orientation for recognition by the cellular receptor.383 - PublicationTheoretical framework for nanoparticle uptake and accumulation kinetics in dividing cell populationsNano-sized objects interact with biological systems in fundamentally novel ways, thereby holding great promise for targeted drug delivery. It has also been suggested they could constitute a hitherto unseen hazard. Numerous experimental studies in the field are taking place. We consider that the nature of the interactions allows a more fundamental theoretical framework to be developed. In particular, we describe the intimate link that develops between nanoparticle uptake and cell population evolution. Explicit analytical results are given and the theory compared to experimental observations.
415Scopus© Citations 28 - PublicationMapping protein binding sites on the biomolecular corona of nanoparticles(Springer Nature, 2015-03-30)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; Nanoparticles in a biological milieu are known to form a sufficiently long-lived and well-organized 'corona' of biomolecules to confer a biological identity to the particle. Because this nanoparticle-biomolecule complex interacts with cells and biological barriers, potentially engaging with different biological pathways, it is important to clarify the presentation of functional biomolecular motifs at its interface. Here, we demonstrate that by using antibody-labelled gold nanoparticles, differential centrifugal sedimentation and various imaging techniques it is possible to identify the spatial location of proteins, their functional motifs and their binding sites. We show that for transferrin-coated polystyrene nanoparticles only a minority of adsorbed proteins exhibit functional motifs and the spatial organization appears random, which is consistent, overall, with a stochastic and irreversible adsorption process. Our methods are applicable to a wide array of nanoparticles and can offer a microscopic molecular description of the biological identity of nanoparticles.286Scopus© Citations 274 - PublicationTime and Space Resolved Uptake Study of Silica Nanoparticles by Human Cells(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2011)
; ; ; ; ; A spatio-temporal mapping of the uptake of silica (SiO2) nanoparticles of different sizes by lung epithelial cells has been obtained. Based on high control of nanoparticle dispersion in cell media and cell exposure, one obtains reproducible and quantitative time-resolved data using a combination of flow cytometry, fluorescence and electron microscopies. We are thereby able to give a rather detailed account of the journey of SiO2 nanoparticles from the early events of uptake to their final sub-cellular localization.1273Scopus© Citations 194 - PublicationGraphene Nanoflake Uptake Mediated by Scavenger Receptors(ACS Publications, 2019-01-10)
; ; ; ; ; The biological interactions of graphene have been extensively investigated over the last 10 years. However, very little is known about graphene interactions with the cell surface and how the graphene internalization process is driven and mediated by specific recognition sites at the interface with the cell. In this work, we propose a methodology to investigate direct molecular correlations between the biomolecular corona of graphene and specific cell receptors, showing that key protein recognition motifs, presented on the nanomaterial surface, can engage selectively with specific cell receptors. We consider the case of apolipoprotein A-I, found to be very abundant in the graphene protein corona, and observe that the uptake of graphene nanoflakes is somewhat increased in cells with greatly elevated expression of scavenger receptors B1, suggesting a possible mechanism of endogenous interaction. The uptake results, obtained by flow cytometry, have been confirmed using Raman microspectroscopic mapping, exploiting the strong Raman signature of graphene.476Scopus© Citations 38 - PublicationParacrine signalling of inflammatory cytokines from an in vitro blood brain barrier model upon exposure to polymeric nanoparticles(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014-03)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; Nanoparticle properties, such as small size relative to large highly modifiable surface area, offer great promise for neuro-therapeutics and nanodiagnostics. A fundamental understanding and control of how nanoparticles interact with the blood-brain barrier (BBB) could enable major developments in nanomedical treatment of previously intractable neurological disorders, and help ensure that nanoparticles not intended to reach the brain do not cause adverse effects. Nanosafety is of utmost importance to this field. However, a distinct lack of knowledge exists regarding nanoparticle accumulation within the BBB and the biological effects this may induce on neighbouring cells of the Central Nervous System (CNS), particularly in the long-term. This study focussed on the exposure of an in vitro BBB model to model carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles (PS COOH NPs), as these nanoparticles are well characterised for in vitro experimentation and have been reported as non-toxic in many biological settings. TEM imaging showed accumulation but not degradation of 100 nm PS COOH NPs within the lysosomes of the in vitro BBB over time. Cytokine secretion analysis from the in vitro BBB post 24 h 100 nm PS COOH NP exposure showed a low level of pro-inflammatory RANTES protein secretion compared to control. In contrast, 24 h exposure of the in vitro BBB endothelium to 100 nm PS COOH NPs in the presence of underlying astrocytes caused a significant increase in pro-survival signalling. In conclusion, the tantalising possibilities of nanomedicine must be balanced by cautious studies into the possible long-term toxicity caused by accumulation of known 'toxic' and 'non-toxic' nanoparticles, as general toxicity assays may be disguising significant signalling regulation during long-term accumulation.409Scopus© Citations 34 - PublicationBiological recognition of graphene nanoflakes(2018-04-20)
; ; ; ; ; ; The systematic study of nanoparticle-biological interactions requires particles to be reproducibly dispersed in relevant fluids along with further development in the identification of biologically relevant structural details at the materials-biology interface. Here, we develop a biocompatible long-term colloidally stable water dispersion of few-layered graphene nanoflakes in the biological exposure medium in which it will be studied. We also report the study of the orientation and functionality of key proteins of interest in the biolayer (corona) that are believed to mediate most of the early biological interactions. The evidence accumulated shows that graphene nanoflakes are rich in effective apolipoprotein A-I presentation, and we are able to map specific functional epitopes located in the C-terminal portion that are known to mediate the binding of high-density lipoprotein to binding sites in receptors that are abundant in the liver. This could suggest a way of connecting the materials' properties to the biological outcomes.311Scopus© Citations 59 - PublicationHigh-content analysis for drug delivery and nanoparticle applications(Elsevier, 2015-08)
; ; ; ; High-content analysis (HCA) provides quantitative multiparametric cellular fluorescence data. From its origins in discovery toxicology, it is now addressing fundamental questions in drug delivery. Nanoparticles (NPs), polymers, and intestinal permeation enhancers are being harnessed in drug delivery systems to modulate plasma membrane properties and the intracellular environment. Identifying comparative mechanistic cytotoxicity on sublethal events is crucial to expedite the development of such systems. NP uptake and intracellular routing pathways are also being dissected using chemical and genetic perturbations, with the potential to assess the intracellular fate of targeted and untargeted particles in vitro. As we discuss here, HCA is set to make a major impact in preclinical delivery research by elucidating the intracellular pathways of NPs and the in vitro mechanistic-based toxicology of formulation constituents.1207Scopus© Citations 32