title: Highly efficient human serum filtration with water-soluble nanoporous nanoparticles.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human serum has the potential to become the most informative source of novel biomarkers, but its study is very difficult due to the incredible complexity of its molecular composition. We describe a novel tool based on biodegradable nanoporous nanoparticles (NPNPs) that allows the harvesting of low-molecular-weight fractions of crude human serum or other biofluids. NPNPs with a diameter of 200 nm and pore size of a few nm were obtained by ultrasonication of nanoporous silicon. When incubated with a solution, the NPNPs harvest only the molecules small enough to be absorbed into the nanopores. Then they can be recovered by centrifugation and dissolved in water, making the harvested molecules available for further analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fluorescence microscopy, gel electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry were used to show the enrichment of low-molecular-weight fraction of serum under physiological conditions, with a cut-off of 13 kDa and an enrichment factor >50.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From these findings, we conclude that ability to tune pore size, combined with the availability of hundreds of biomolecule cross-linkers, opens up new perspectives on complex biofluid analysis, discovery of biomarkers, and in situ drug delivery.
authors.affiliation: BIONEM Laboratory, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Catanzaro "Magna Graecia", Germaneto (CZ), Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pujia
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: Domenica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scumaci
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaspari
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liberale
authors.forename: Patrizio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Candeloro
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cuda
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Fabrizio
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003911:Dextrans; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005374:Filtration / Q000379:methods*; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008970:Molecular Weight; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D058608:Nanopores; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D016062:Porosity; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry; D012995:Solubility; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins; D003911:Dextrans; C015219:fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D012825:Silicon