Nano-biothiol Interactions of Engineered Nanoparticles

Nanomedicines have been extensively studied in the past decades at the fundamental level because they could potentially make a paradigm shift in human healthcare. Nano-bio interactions play a central role in the precise control of the benefit and hazards of nanomedicines, but current studies mainly focus on how nanoparticles are taken up by cells and interact with different receptors. There is still not enough investigation of how the physiological environment transforms engineered nanoparticles through a variety of biochemical reactions. This dissertation aims to fundamentally understand the nanoparticle-biochemical interactions and the in vivo transport of engineered nanoparticles modulated by these interactions. In Chapter 1 of this dissertation, an overall review is given on the current understanding of nanobio interactions at the molecular and chemical levels, particularly. In Chapter 2, we systematically investigated how the nanoparticle size, the thiols species, and the protein binding affect the interactions between the nanoparticles and thiols at the in vitro level. In Chapter 3, we focused on unraveling the relation between the nanoparticle-biothiol interactions in vitro and the nanoparticle-biothiol interactions in vivo. In Chapter 4, we explored the nanoparticle-biothiol interactions in the diseased mice model and illustrated the application of nanoparticle-biothiol interactions in disease diagnosis. Finally, in Chapter 5, we present the summary and outlook. These new understanding on nano-biochemical interactions at both in vitro and in vivo levels will help further advance physiology at the nanoscale as well as open new pathways to early disease diagnosis and treatment.