Insights into Characterization Methods and Biomedical Applications of Nanoparticle–Protein Corona

• Main Authors: Yan Li, Jae-Seung Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: nanoparticles; protein corona; characterization; biomedical application
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/14/3093

Nanoparticles (NPs) exposed to a biological milieu will strongly interact with proteins, forming “coronas” on the surfaces of the NPs. The protein coronas (PCs) affect the properties of the NPs and provide a new biological identity to the particles in the biological environment. The characterization of NP-PC complexes has attracted enormous research attention, owing to the crucial effects of the properties of an NP-PC on its interactions with living systems, as well as the diverse applications of NP-PC complexes. The analysis of NP-PC complexes without a well-considered approach will inevitably lead to misunderstandings and inappropriate applications of NPs. This review introduces methods for the characterization of NP-PC complexes and investigates their recent applications in biomedicine. Furthermore, the review evaluates these characterization methods based on comprehensive critical views and provides future perspectives regarding the applications of NP-PC complexes.