Biomaterial Database

Amphiphilic gold nanoparticles perturb phase separation in multidomain lipid membranes. 2020

Ester Canepa, and Sebastian Salassi, and Anna Lucia de Marco, and Chiara Lambruschini, and Davide Odino, and Davide Bochicchio, and Fabio Canepa, and Claudio Canale, and Silvia Dante, and Rosaria Brescia, and Francesco Stellacci, and Giulia Rossi, and Annalisa Relini

Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genoa, Via Dodecaneso 31, 16146 Genoa, Italy. rossig@fisica.unige.it relini@fisica.unige.it.

Amphiphilic gold nanoparticles with diameters in the 2-4 nm range are promising as theranostic agents thanks to their spontaneous translocation through cell membranes. This study addresses the effects that these nanoparticles may have on a distinct feature of plasma membranes: lipid lateral phase separation. Atomic force microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance, and molecular dynamics are combined to study the interaction between model neuronal membranes, which spontaneously form ordered and disordered lipid domains, and amphiphilic gold nanoparticles having negatively charged surface functionalization. Nanoparticles are found to interact with the bilayer and form bilayer-embedded ordered aggregates. Nanoparticles also suppress lipid phase separation, in a concentration-dependent fashion. A general, yet simple thermodynamic model is developed to show that the change of lipid-lipid enthalpy is the dominant driving force towards the nanoparticle-induced destabilization of phase separation.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008051	Lipid Bilayers	Layers of lipid molecules which are two molecules thick. Bilayer systems are frequently studied as models of biological membranes.	Bilayers, Lipid,Bilayer, Lipid,Lipid Bilayer
D006046	Gold	A yellow metallic element with the atomic symbol Au, atomic number 79, and atomic weight 197. It is used in jewelry, goldplating of other metals, as currency, and in dental restoration. Many of its clinical applications, such as ANTIRHEUMATIC AGENTS, are in the form of its salts.
D053768	Metal Nanoparticles	Nanoparticles produced from metals whose uses include biosensors, optics, and catalysts. In biomedical applications the particles frequently involve the noble metals, especially gold and silver.	Metal Nanocrystals,Metallic Nanocrystals,Metallic Nanoparticles,Metal Nanocrystal,Metal Nanoparticle,Metallic Nanocrystal,Metallic Nanoparticle,Nanocrystal, Metal,Nanocrystal, Metallic,Nanocrystals, Metal,Nanocrystals, Metallic,Nanoparticle, Metal,Nanoparticle, Metallic,Nanoparticles, Metal,Nanoparticles, Metallic
D056004	Molecular Dynamics Simulation	A computer simulation developed to study the motion of molecules over a period of time.	Molecular Dynamics Simulations,Molecular Dynamics,Dynamic, Molecular,Dynamics Simulation, Molecular,Dynamics Simulations, Molecular,Dynamics, Molecular,Molecular Dynamic,Simulation, Molecular Dynamics,Simulations, Molecular Dynamics
D018625	Microscopy, Atomic Force	A type of scanning probe microscopy in which a probe systematically rides across the surface of a sample being scanned in a raster pattern. The vertical position is recorded as a spring attached to the probe rises and falls in response to peaks and valleys on the surface. These deflections produce a topographic map of the sample.	Atomic Force Microscopy,Force Microscopy,Scanning Force Microscopy,Atomic Force Microscopies,Force Microscopies,Force Microscopies, Scanning,Force Microscopy, Scanning,Microscopies, Atomic Force,Microscopies, Force,Microscopies, Scanning Force,Microscopy, Force,Microscopy, Scanning Force,Scanning Force Microscopies