Residual CTAB Ligands as Mass Spectrometry Labels to Monitor Cellular Uptake of Au Nanorods.
Gold nanorods have numerous applications in biomedical research, including diagnostics, bioimaging, and photothermal therapy. Even though surfactant removal and surface conjugation with antifouling molecules such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) are required to minimize nonspecific protein binding and cell uptake, the reliable characterization of these processes remains challenging. We propose here the use of laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) to study the ligand exchange efficiency of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-coated nanorods with different PEG grafting densities and to characterize nanorod internalization in cells. Application of LDI-MS analysis shows that residual CTAB consistently remains adsorbed on PEG-capped Au nanorods. Interestingly, such residual CTAB can be exploited as a mass barcode to discern the presence of nanorods in complex fluids and in vitro cellular systems, even at very low concentrations.
†CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.|‡Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Isabel
I
García
†CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Malou
M
Henriksen-Lacey
†CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Ana
A
Sánchez-Iglesias
†CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.|§Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain.
Marek
M
Grzelczak
†CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.|‡Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.
Soledad
S
Penadés
†CIC biomaGUNE, Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.|‡Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Paseo de Miramón 182, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.|§Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain.
Luis M
LM
Liz-Marzán
D000077286:Cetrimonium; D002593:Cetrimonium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004348:Drug Labeling; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry; D010587:Phagocytosis; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry
D002593:Cetrimonium Compounds; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D006046:Gold; D000077286:Cetrimonium
cetyltrimethylammonium bromide; gold nanorods; laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry; ligand exchange