Tissue distribution and cellular localization of gold nanocarriers with bound oligonucleotides

Abstract

Aim: the aim of the study was to determine how the addition of a DNA oligonucleotide cargo to 3-nm gold glyconanoparticles would affect tissue distribution. Methods: gold glyconanoparticles with 1-6 covalently bound oligonucleotides (40 nt dsDNA) were injected into rats and allowed to circulate for 10 min. Organs were harvested and gold quantitated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Cellular localization of the nanocarriers was determined by electron microscopy. Results and conclusion: addition of DNA cargo to the nanocarriers prevented localization in the kidney but increased localization in liver hepatocytes and splenic macrophages. There was no significant change in heart, lung or brain. DNA increases the size and adds a strong negative charge to the nanoparticles, which radically affects tissue distribution.