Discipline:
Subcategory: Nanoscience
Kayla Bailey - Mississippi Valley State University
Nanoparticles are starting to play a major role in the advancement of modern medicine. Examining the binding interactions between proteins and biodegradable nanoparticles is necessary to comprehend biological interactions within the body. Do biodegradable nanoparticles and proteins actually interact (bind)? If so, what factor(s) affect the binding of biodegradable nanoparticles and proteins and why? Unmodified PLGA nanoparticles were used to determine the binding affinities between nanoparticles and proteins, using the fluorescent marked model protein bovine serum albumin fluorescein Isothiocyanate (BSA-FITC). Several concentrations of unmodified PLGA nanoparticles were administered to a constant concentration (0.01μM) of BSA-FITC. The primary method used to evaluate the adsorption process of the nanoparticle-protein samples was fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy aided in determining the emission intensity for each of the nanoparticle-protein samples. Overall, there was a decrease in fluorescence as the nanoparticle concentrations increased. Lower fluorescence, which occurred in the samples with higher nanoparticle concentrations, indicated more binding between the BSA-FITC and the PLGA-NP. Hopefully, medical professionals, experienced researchers and students all alike can gain a better understanding of the interactions between biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles and proteins due to the research I have conducted. Future research on this topic can consist of the factors modified PLGA nanoparticles play in protein binding interactions. Modified PLGA nanoparticles could possibly have different affects compared to unmodified nanoparticles used within this research.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): This research was performed under an appointment to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T) Directorate Office of University Programs Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DHS.
Faculty Advisor: Matthewos Eshete, meshete@mvsu.edu
Role: I did all of this research.