Size dependence of gold nanoparticle interactions with a supported lipid bilayer: A QCM-D study.

Knowledge of nanoparticle (NP)-membrane interactions is important to advances in nanomedicine as well as for determining the safety of NPs to humans and the ecosystem. This study focuses on a unique mechanism of cytotoxicity, cell membrane destabilization, which is principally dependent on the nanoparticle nature of the material rather than on its molecular properties. We investigated the interactions of 2, 5, 10, and 40nm gold NPs with supported lipid bilayer (SLB) of L-α-phosphatidylcholine using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D).