title: Cytosolic Transport of Nanoparticles through Pressurized Plasma Membranes for Molecular Delivery and Amplification of Intracellular Fluorescence.
abstract: Transporting nanoparticles into live cells is important for drug delivery and other related applications. We found that cells exposed to hypoosmotic pressures can internalize substantial quantities of gold nanoparticles. Importantly, these nanoparticles can circumvent normal intracellular traffic and be transported directly into the cytosol, without the need for surface functionalization. In contrast, nanoparticles endocytosed at physiological osmolality are segregated inside endocytic organelles and are not able to reach the cytosol. Cytosolic internalization was observed for nanoparticles of various sizes and materials, with minimal short- or long-term damage induced by the internalized particles. Thus, our strategy can be used as a delivery platform for a range of applications from therapeutics to medical imaging. As examples, we demonstrated rapid delivery of membrane-impermeable molecules to the cytosol by using nanoparticles as carriers and the use of nanoparticles assembled within the cytosol as plasmonic nanoantenna to enhance intracellular fluorescence. We propose a model for the mechanisms behind nanoparticle internalization through pressurized plasma membranes via the release of lateral pressures. Such characterizations may constitute a foundation for developing new technologies, including nanoparticle-based drug delivery.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science , 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan , and.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8019-0873
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaizuka
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science , 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan , and.
authors.forename: Tomoto
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ura
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science , 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan , and.|Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University , Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shaowei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University , Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science , 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan , and.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9190-2645
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Henzie
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Materials Science , 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047, Japan , and.
authors.forename: Hidenobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakao
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000737:chemistry; D005453:Fluorescence; D006046:Gold; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles
chemical_list: D006046:Gold