title: Specifically Formed Corona on Silica Nanoparticles Enhances Transforming Growth Factor β1 Activity in Triggering Lung Fibrosis.
abstract: A corona is a layer of macromolecules formed on a nanoparticle surface in vivo. It can substantially change the biological identity of nanomaterials and possibly trigger adverse responses from the body tissues. Dissecting the role of the corona in the development of a particular disease may provide profound insights for understanding toxicity of nanomaterials in general. In our present study, we explored the capability of different silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) to induce silicosis in the mouse lung and analyzed the composition of coronas formed on these particles. We found that SiNPs of certain size and surface chemistry could specifically recruit transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) into their corona, which subsequently induces the development of lung fibrosis. Once embedded into the corona on SiNPs, TGF-β1 was remarkably more stable than in its free form, and its fibrosis-triggering activity was significantly prolonged. Our study meaningfully demonstrates that a specific corona component on a certain nanoparticle could initiate a particular pathogenic process in a clinically relevant disease model. Our findings may shed light on the understanding of molecular mechanisms of human health risks correlated with exposure to small-scale substances.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Zhenzhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau , Taipa, Macau SAR, China.
authors.forename: Chunming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Shang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Lintao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: JingJing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Zhenheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Haoyang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.|Jiangsu Provincial Laboratory for Nano-Technology, Nanjing University , Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, NJU Advanced Institute for Life Sciences (NAILS), School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University , 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210093, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2013-4191
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000066970:Protein Corona / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000066970:Protein Corona; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D012822:Silicon Dioxide
keywords: TGF-β1; corona; lung fibrosis; nano−bio interface; silica nanoparticles