Nature Nanotech. 8, 772–781 (2013)

Biomolecules stick to the surface of nanomaterials in biological environments and, as a consequence, alter the nanomaterials' biodistribution, efficacy and toxicity. Most often, it is proteins that bind, forming a protein corona. Now, Stefan Tenzer, Roland Stauber and colleagues have investigated the composition and dynamic changes of protein coronas coated on nanomaterials when mixed with human plasma. Silica and polystyrene nanoparticles of differing sizes and with various surface charges and chemical modifications were incubated in human plasma for a range of time periods. Following centrifugation, the protein–nanoparticle complexes were analysed using mass spectrometry. Even for the shortest incubation time of 30 seconds, over 250 different proteins were detected in the corona. With longer incubation times, the concentration of specific proteins changes with time. The identity of the proteins, however, remains largely unchanged. These rapidly formed, corona-coated nanoparticles were shown to have different pathobiological effects compared with pristine nanoparticles in human-cell models, for example, the corona-coated nanoparticles prevent the rupture of red blood cells and the aggregation of thrombocytes.