Clusterin in the protein corona plays a key role in the stealth effect of nanoparticles against phagocytes.

In biological fluids, nanoparticles interact with biological components such as proteins, and a layer called the "protein corona" forms around the nanoparticles. It is believed that the composition of the protein corona affects the cellular uptake and in vivo biodistribution of nanoparticles; however, the key proteins of the protein corona that control the biological fate of nanoparticles remain unclear. Recently, it was reported that clusterin binding to pegylated nanoparticles is important for the stealth effect of pegylated nanoparticles in phagocytes. However, the effect of clusterin on non-pegylated nanoparticles is unknown, although it is known that clusterin is present in the protein corona of non-pegylated nanoparticles. Here, we assessed the stealth effect of clusterin in the corona of non-pegylated silver nanoparticles and silica nanoparticles. We found that serum- and plasma-protein corona inhibited the cellular uptake of silver nanoparticles and silica nanoparticles in phagocytes and that the plasma-protein corona showed a greater stealth effect compared with the serum-protein corona. Clusterin was present in both the serum- and plasma-protein corona, but was present at a higher level in the plasma-protein corona than in the serum-protein corona. Clusterin binding to silver nanoparticles and silica nanoparticles suppressed the cellular uptake of nanoparticles in human macrophage-like cells (THP-1 cells). Although further studies are required to determine how clusterin suppresses non-specific cellular uptake in phagocytes, our data suggest that clusterin plays a key role in the stealth effect of not only pegylated nanoparticles but also non-pegylated nanoparticles.

Highlights of the 12th Japan Bioanalysis Forum Symposium.

Approximately 300 people associated with pharmaceutical industries, contractors, academic institutions and regulatory authorities attended the 12th Japan Bioanalysis Forum Symposium. The webinar was conducted from 9 to 11 March 2021. The theme of the symposium was 'for the next generation', and the event provided 'an opportunity for young researchers in bioanalysis (including students)' and 'an opportunity to discuss new frontiers of bioanalysis'. The speakers focused on hot topics of bioanalysis, including biomarker analysis, patient centric sampling, virtual clinical trials, gene therapy, cancer genome medicine and therapeutic middle molecules. The symposium presented a platform for the discussion of the prospects and challenges facing bioanalysts working in the field of pharmacokinetics. This report presents the key issues discussed.

[Effect of pH and Additives on the Compatibility between Vancomycin and Furosemide Injections].

　The physicochemical compatibility between injections of different agents is very important. An injection of the antibiotic vancomycin (VCM) is acidic and its standard pH range is 2.5-4.5. In clinical treatments, VCM injections are often used with Lasix® (furosemide) injections. The Lasix® injection is alkaline and its standard pH range is 8.6-9.6. Therefore, mixing VCM injections with Lasix® injections may cause compatibility problems. We evaluated the effect of pH on the compatibility between VCM (original and two generic) and Lasix® injections. Compatibility was not observed in non-pH-adjusted VCM with Lasix® injections, but white crystals appeared when VCM injections adjusted to pH 2.5 experimentally were mixed with a Lasix® injection, suggesting that the acidic condition of VCM injections cause compatibility. However, the residual rates of VCM did not change after 24 h in all mixtures. We analyzed the crystals by mass spectrometry and 1H-NMR, and identified them to comprise furosemide.

Evaluation of silica nanoparticle binding to major human blood proteins.

Nanomaterials are used for various biomedical applications because they are often more effective than conventional materials. Recently, however, it has become clear that the protein corona that forms on the surface of nanomaterials when they make contact with biological fluids, such as blood, influences the pharmacokinetics and biological responses induced by the nanomaterials. Therefore, when evaluating nanomaterial safety and efficacy, it is important to analyze the interaction between nanomaterials and proteins in biological fluids and to evaluate the effects of the protein corona. Here, we evaluated the interaction of silica nanoparticles, a commonly used nanomaterial, with the human blood proteins albumin, transferrin, fibrinogen, and IgG. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed that the amount of albumin, transferrin, and IgG binding to the silica particles increased as the particle size decreased under conditions where the silica particle mass remained the same. However, under conditions in which the specific surface area remained constant, there were no differences in the binding of human plasma proteins to the silica particles tested, suggesting that the binding of silica particles with human plasma proteins is dependent on the specific surface area of the silica particles. Furthermore, the amount of albumin, transferrin, and IgG binding to silica nanoparticles with a diameter of 70 nm (nSP70) and a functional amino group was lower than that with unmodified nSP70, although there was no difference in the binding between nSP70 with the surface modification of a carboxyl functional group and nSP70. These results suggest that the characteristics of nanomaterials are important for binding with human blood proteins; this information may contribute to the development of safe and effective nanomaterials.