Gold nanoparticles with different amino acid surfaces: Serum albumin adsorption, intracellular uptake and cytotoxicity

Gold nanoparticles with aspartate, glycine, leucine, lysine, and serine surfaces were produced from the mixed solutions of HAuCl4 and respective amino acids via UV irradiation. The amino acids bind to the nanoparticle surfaces via amine groups and their carboxylic groups extend out to stabilize the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles have diameters of 15–47 nm in pH 7.4 aqueous solution and have diameters of 62–73 nm after 48 h incubation in cell culture containing serum. The nanoparticles adsorb human and bovine serum albumins on their surfaces by specific interactions, characterized by the intrinsic fluorescence quenching of the albumins. The albumin adsorption effectively decreases the aggregation of the nanoparticles in cell culture and also decreases the intracellular uptake of the nanoparticles. The gold nanoparticles produced from leucine and lysine, which have amphiphilic groups on their surfaces, present better biocompatibility than the other gold nanoparticles.