The effect of particle design on cellular internalization pathways

SEA Gratton, PA Ropp, PD Pohlhaus… - Proceedings of the …, 2008 - National Acad Sciences
SEA Gratton, PA Ropp, PD Pohlhaus, JC Luft, VJ Madden, ME Napier, JM DeSimone
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008National Acad Sciences
The interaction of particles with cells is known to be strongly influenced by particle size, but
little is known about the interdependent role that size, shape, and surface chemistry have on
cellular internalization and intracellular trafficking. We report on the internalization of
specially designed, monodisperse hydrogel particles into HeLa cells as a function of size,
shape, and surface charge. We employ a top-down particle fabrication technique called
PRINT that is able to generate uniform populations of organic micro-and nanoparticles with …
The interaction of particles with cells is known to be strongly influenced by particle size, but little is known about the interdependent role that size, shape, and surface chemistry have on cellular internalization and intracellular trafficking. We report on the internalization of specially designed, monodisperse hydrogel particles into HeLa cells as a function of size, shape, and surface charge. We employ a top-down particle fabrication technique called PRINT that is able to generate uniform populations of organic micro- and nanoparticles with complete control of size, shape, and surface chemistry. Evidence of particle internalization was obtained by using conventional biological techniques and transmission electron microscopy. These findings suggest that HeLa cells readily internalize nonspherical particles with dimensions as large as 3 μm by using several different mechanisms of endocytosis. Moreover, it was found that rod-like particles enjoy an appreciable advantage when it comes to internalization rates, reminiscent of the advantage that many rod-like bacteria have for internalization in nonphagocytic cells.
National Acad Sciences