Maghemite nanoparticles coated with human serum albumin: combining targeting by the iron-acquisition pathway and potential in photothermal therapies.

Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant plasma protein in human blood, is a natural transport vehicle with multiple ligand binding sites. It, therefore, constitutes an attractive candidate for drug delivery. Targeting may occur via the most known interaction of the protein with the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn).

Transferrin receptor-1 iron-acquisition pathway - synthesis, kinetics, thermodynamics and rapid cellular internalization of a holotransferrin-maghemite nanoparticle construct.

Background: Targeting nanoobjects via the iron-acquisition pathway is always reported slower than the transferrin/receptor endocytosis. Is there a remedy?

Methods: Maghemite superparamagnetic and theragnostic nanoparticles (diameter 8.6nm) were synthesized, coated with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (NP) and coupled to four holotransferrin (TFe2) by amide bonds (TFe2-NP).

How to prepare and stabilize very small nanoemulsions.

Practical and theoretical considerations that apply when aiming to formulate by ultrasonication very small nanoemulsions (particle diameter up to 150 nm) with very high stability are presented and discussed. The droplet size evolution during sonication can be described by a monoexponential function of the sonication time, the characteristic time scale depending essentially on the applied power. A unique master curve is obtained when plotting the mean diameter size evolution as a function of sonication energy.