Changing de identity of drug nanocarriers: from synthesis to living systems

CARLA E. GIACOMELLI

Mar del Plata

Simposio; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencia. Simposio de Nanomedicina (Nanomed-AR).; 2019

Sociedades de Biociencias

The surface properties of drug nanocarriers are drastically and rapidly modified when administered to a living system. This bio-transformation is strongly controlled by the different components of the biological fluids, especially plasma proteins. In fact, the self-assembly in mono or multilayers of these proteins on the nanocarriers surface has been described as a protein corona since 2007. However, this concept is not new since it dates back to the pioneering works of the 50s and 60s, where it was described the essential role of adsorbed proteins on the interactions and biological response of different materials. Since the protein corona completely transforms the original interfacial properties of the nanocarriers (synthetic identity) into a new biological identity, it can cause unexpected or adverse responses, such as increased cytotoxicity and immunogenicity, altered endocytic pathways to target different intracellular locations. Consequently, the bio-transformation of the nanocarriers by the formation of the protein corona unpredictably modulates their pharmacological and toxicological profiles. The formation and stabilization of the protein corona mainly depends on two types of interactions: nanocarrier-protein and protein-protein. Both interactions not only control the formation of the protein corona, but also the cellular response of the nanocarriers biological identity. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss different features of this bio-transformation, particularly related to the composition, structure and interaction network of the protein corona on drug nanocarriers. The emphasis of the discussion will focus on nanocarrier-protein and protein-protein interactions and their effect on the response of model cellular systems and intact cells.