Structural and Thermodynamic Properties of Nanoparticle-Protein Complexes: A Combined SAXS and SANS Study.
We propose a novel method for determining the structural and thermodynamic properties of nanoparticle-protein complexes under physiological conditions. The method consists of collecting a full set of small-angle X-ray and neutron-scattering measurements in solutions with different concentrations of nanoparticles and protein. The nanoparticle-protein dissociation process is described in the framework of the Hill cooperative model, based on which the whole set of X-ray and neutron-scattering data is fitted simultaneously. This method is applied to water solutions of gold nanoparticles in the presence of human serum albumin without any previous manipulation and can be, in principle, extended to all systems. We demonstrate that the protein dissociation constant, the Hill coefficient, and the stoichiometry of the nanoparticle-protein complex are obtained with a high degree of confidence.
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche , Ancona I-60131, Italy.
Francesco
0000-0002-0693-5582
F
Spinozzi
Directorate General Joint Research Centre, Directorate F-Health, Consumers and Reference Materials, Consumer Products Safety Unit, European Commission , Ispra I-21027, Italy.
Giacomo
G
Ceccone
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche , Ancona I-60131, Italy.
Paolo
P
Moretti
Weill Medical College, Cornell University , New York, New York 10065, United States.
Gabriele
G
Campanella
ESRF-The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility , Grenoble F-38000, France.
Claudio
C
Ferrero
Laboratoire Léon-Brillouin, UMR 12 CEA-CNRS, CEA-Saclay , Gif sur Yvette F-91191, France.
Sophie
S
Combet
Directorate General Joint Research Centre, Directorate F-Health, Consumers and Reference Materials, Consumer Products Safety Unit, European Commission , Ispra I-21027, Italy.
Isaac
I
Ojea-Jimenez
Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia , Pavia I-27100, Italy.
Paolo
P
Ghigna
D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D033363:Neutron Diffraction; D010316:Particle Size; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D013499:Surface Properties; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
D011506:Proteins