Effect of nanoparticle surface charge at the plasma membrane and beyond.

Arvizo, Rochelle R; Miranda, Oscar R; Thompson, Michael A; Pabelick, Christina M; Bhattacharya, Resham; Robertson, J David; Rotello, Vincent M; Prakash, Y S et al. · Nano Lett · 2010

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Herein, we demonstrate that the surface charge of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) plays a critical role in modulating membrane potential of different malignant and nonmalignant cell types and subsequent downstream intracellular events. The findings presented here describe a novel mechanism for cell-nanoparticle interactions and AuNP uptake: modulation of membrane potential and its effect on intracellular events. These studies will help understand the biology of cell-nanoparticle interactions and facilitate the engineering of nanoparticles for specific intracellular targets.

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