Increase in uptake of peptide modified gold nanoparticles (GNPs)

The interactions of synthetically produced gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with living organisms are getting attention in the biomedical sciences. While non-viral carriers, like GNPs, are safer and more cost-efficient than viral vectors, the efficiency of cell penetration is lower. Unmodified GNPs enter the cell through a receptor-medicated endocytosis (RME) and is encapsulated inside a double membrane endosome, which leads to exocytosis. Increasing uptake of GNPs into the cell is a challenging task as the GNPs has to escape the regular endo-lyso pathway. In this paper, various modifications using peptide conjugates have been performed to the GNPs to increase the efficiency of cell penetration. Quantitative and qualitative data are obtained from a UV spectrometer, an Atomic Absorption spectrometer, and Transmission Electron Microscope.