Université de Fribourg

Beyond global charge: role of amine bulkiness and protein fingerprint on nanoparticle–cell interaction

Burnand, David ; Milosevic, Ana ; Balog, Sandor ; Spuch-Calvar, Miguel ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Dengjel, Jörn ; Kinnear, Calum ; Moore, Thomas L. ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Small, 2018, vol. 14, no. 46, p. 1802088

Amino groups presented on the surface of nanoparticles are well‐known to be a predominant factor in the formation of the protein corona and subsequent cellular uptake. However, the molecular mechanism underpinning this relationship is poorly defined. This study investigates how amine type and density affect the protein corona and cellular association of gold nanoparticles with cells in...

Université de Fribourg

Assumption-free morphological quantification of single anisotropic nanoparticles and aggregates

Vanhecke, Dimitri ; Rodríguez-Lorenzo, Laura ; Kinnear, Calum ; Durantie, Estelle ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Nanoscale, 2017, vol. 9, no. 15, p. 4918–4927

Characterizing the morphometric parameters of noble metal nanoparticles for sensing and catalysis is a persistent challenge due to their small size and complex shape. Herein, we present an approach to determine the volume, surface area, and curvature of non-symmetric anisotropic nanoparticles using electron tomography and design- based stereology without the use of segmentation tools or...

Université de Fribourg

Decoupling the shape parameter to assess gold nanorod uptake by mammalian cells

Kinnear, Calum ; Rodriguez-Lorenzo, Laura ; Clift, M. J. D. ; Goris, B. ; Bals, S. ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Nanoscale, 2016, vol. 8, no. 36, p. 16416–16426

The impact of nanoparticles (NPs) upon biological systems can be fundamentally associated with their physicochemical parameters. A further often-stated tenet is the importance of NP shape on rates of endocytosis. However, given the convoluted parameters concerning the NP–cell interaction, it is experimentally challenging to attribute any findings to shape alone. Herein we demonstrate that...

Université de Fribourg

A new angle on dynamic depolarized light scattering: number-averaged size distribution of nanoparticles in focus

Geers, Christoph ; Rodriguez-Lorenzo, Laura ; Urban, Dominic Andreas ; Kinnear, Calum ; Petri-Fink, Alke ; Balog, Sandor

In: Nanoscale, 2016, vol. 8, no. 34, p. 15813–15821

Size polydispersity is a common phenomenon that strongly influences the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles (NPs). We present an analytical approach that is universally applicable to characterizing optically anisotropic round NPs and determines directly the number-averaged size distribution and polydispersity via depolarized dynamic light scattering (DDLS). To demonstrate, we use...

Université de Fribourg

Plasmonic nanoparticles and their characterization in physiological fluids

Urban, Dominic A. ; Rodriguez-Lorenzo, Laura ; Balog, Sandor ; Kinnear, Calum ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 2016, vol. 137, p. 39–49

Nanoparticles possess unique properties beyond that of classical materials, and while these properties can be used for designing a dedicated functionality, they may also pose a problem to living organisms, to human health and the environment. The specific primary routes by which nanoparticles may interact with the human body include inhalation, injection, ingestion and application to the skin....

Université de Fribourg

Ultrathin ceramic membranes as scaffolds for functional cell coculture models on a biomimetic scale

Jud, Corinne ; Ahmed, Sher ; Müller, Loretta ; Kinnear, Calum ; Vanhecke, Dimitri ; Umehara, Yuki ; Frey, Sabine ; Liley, Martha ; Angeloni, Silvia ; Petri-Fink, Alke ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara

In: BioResearch Open Access, 2015, vol. 4, no. 1, p. 457–468

Epithelial tissue serves as an interface between biological compartments. Many in vitro epithelial cell models have been developed as an alternative to animal experiments to answer a range of research questions. These in vitro models are grown on permeable two-chamber systems; however, commercially available, polymer-based cell culture inserts are around 10 μm thick. Since the basement...

Université de Fribourg

Fate of cellulose nanocrystal aerosols deposited on the lung cell surface in vitro

Endes, Carola ; Mueller, Silvana ; Kinnear, Calum ; Vanhecke, Dimitri ; Foster, E. Johan ; Petri-Fink, Alke ; Weder, Christoph ; Clift, Martin J. D. ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara

In: Biomacromolecules, 2015, vol. 16, no. 4, p. 1267–1275

When considering the inhalation of high-aspect ratio nanoparticles (HARN), the characterization of their specific interaction with lung cells is of fundamental importance to help categorize their potential hazard. The aim of the present study was to assess the interaction of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with a multicellular in vitro model of the epithelial airway barrier following realistic...

Université de Fribourg

An in vitro testing strategy towards mimicking the inhalation of high aspect ratio nanoparticles

Endes, Carola ; Schmid, Otmar ; Kinnear, Calum ; Mueller, Silvana ; Camarero-Espinosa, Sandra ; Vanhecke, Dimitri ; Foster, E. Johan ; Petri-Fink, Alke ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Weder, Christoph ; Clift, Martin J.D.

In: Particle and Fibre Toxicology, 2015, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 40

The challenge remains to reliably mimic human exposure to high aspect ratio nanoparticles (HARN) via inhalation. Sophisticated, multi-cellular in vitro models are a particular advantageous solution to this issue, especially when considering the need to provide realistic and efficient alternatives to invasive animal experimentation for HARN hazard assessment. By incorporating a systematic test-bed...

Université de Fribourg

Polyvinyl alcohol as a biocompatible alternative for the passivation of gold nanorods

Kinnear, Calum ; Burnand, David ; Clift, Martin J. D. ; Kilbinger, Andreas F. M. ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2014, vol. 53, no. 46, p. 12613–12617

The functionalization of gold nanorods (GNRs) with polymers is essential for both their colloidal stability and biocompatibility. However, a bilayer of the toxic cationic surfactant cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) adsorbed on the nanorods complicates this process. Herein, we report on a strategy for the biocompatible functionalization of GNRs with a hydrophobic polymeric precursor,...

Université de Fribourg

Thermally reversible self-assembly of nanoparticles via polymer crystallization

Kinnear, Calum ; Balog, Sandor ; Rothen-Rutishauser, Barbara ; Petri-Fink, Alke

In: Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 2014, vol. 35, no. 23, p. 2012–2017

The directed self-assembly of gold nanoparticles through the crystallization of surface-grafted polyethylene oxide (PEO) in ethanol–water mixtures is described. This process is fully reversible and tunable through either the size of the core or the polymeric coating. Characterization by X-ray scattering and electron microscopy of the self-assembled structures reveals order at the nanoscale,...