The Effect of Fibronectin Coating on Protein Corona Structure and Cellular Uptake of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

Protein coating is an outstanding surface modification strategy to influence the organization of biomolecules on the interface of nanomaterials. In the present study, fibronectin (FN) was used to modify the surface chemistry of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and carboxylated SWNTs (CO2-SWNTs) to analyze its effects on the protein corona composition and cellular uptake. At first, the successful coating of FN on the surface of both SWNTs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that the biomolecular organization of SWNTs and CO2-SWNTs coronas was changed after FN coating based on the evidence obtained from the surface plasmon intensity of the samples. Moreover, the MTT assay and confocal microscopy imaging revealed less cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of SWNTs coronas in comparison to bulk samples, respectively. It is suggested that the protein coating of SWNTs can modify the corona pattern and consequently the biological behavior of carbon nanotubes.