Assembly of Bioactive Nanoparticles via Metal–Phenolic Complexation. Issue 10 (30th January 2022) - Chen, Jingqu
Abstract: The integration of bioactive materials (e.g., proteins and genes) into nanoparticles holds promise in fields ranging from catalysis to biomedicine. However, it is challenging to develop a simple and broadly applicable nanoparticle platform that can readily incorporate distinct biomacromolecules without affecting their intrinsic activity. Herein, a metal–phenolic assembly approach is presented whereby diverse functional nanoparticles can be readily assembled in water by combining various synthetic and natural building blocks, including poly(ethylene glycol), phenolic ligands, metal ions, and bioactive macromolecules. The assembly process is primarily mediated by metal–phenolic complexes through coordination and hydrophobic interactions, which yields uniform and spherical nanoparticles (mostly <200 nm), while preserving the function of the incorporated biomacromolecules (siRNA and five different proteins used). The functionality of the assembled nanoparticles is demonstrated through cancer cell apoptosis, RNA degradation, catalysis, and gene downregulation studies. Furthermore, the resulting nanoparticles can be used as building blocks for the secondary engineering of superstructures via templating and cross‐linking with metal ions. The bioactivity and versatility of the platform can potentially be used for the streamlined and rational design of future bioactive materials. Abstract : A versatile and tunable strategy is developed to assemble a range of biomacromolecules into bioactive metal–phenolic nanoparticles (b‐MPN NPs), while retaining the intrinsic activity of the biomacromolecules. The bioactivity of the b‐MPN NPs enables their use in various applications, including cell apoptosis, RNA degradation, cascade reactions, and gene silencing.