Media interaction and stability of a gamma irradiated albumin nanoparticle

Abstract

Protein nanoparticle designing at the nanoscale is challenging because of protein vulnerability to chemical and physical degradation during processing and biodistribution. We present a crosslinked gamma irradiated albumin-based nanoparticle as a potential drug delivery system. The focus was set on the study of the nanoparticle under adverse experimental conditions: different pH values, SDS, tween 80 and urea. The albumin-based nanoparticle was also tested against time stabilityand ionic strength solutions Regarding its stability against pH, the nanoparticle showed similarity to the behaviour of albumin, whilst the stability of the nanoparticle improved in urea and Tween 80. The nanoparticle was stable for 15 days, and presented no protein degradation in solutions up to 2 M salt concentration. Moreover, it presented a better and controlled drug release at slightly acidic pH values than at physiological pH. Results highlight the potentiality of the nanoparticle due to its biophysical properties as a drug delivery system. The hydrophobic character of the albumin molecules changes when they are in aggregating conditions, and treated with gamma irradiation. Our results reveal that stability of the nanoparticle can result from a competition between short-range attraction and long-range repulsion. They provide a framework for understanding the stability and functioning of nanoparticles. Most interesting, the results here serve as a platform for improving the design of the nanoparticle for future in vivo testing.