In vitro biosynthesis of iron selenide nanoparticles for imageable drug delivery platform

Abstract

Biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles is an alternative route to obtain suitable materials for biomedical applica-tions because neither toxic reducing reagents nor surfactants are required for the synthesis, unlike conventional chemical ways. In this study, we demonstrate the in vitro biosynthesis of FeSe nanoparticles using a recombinant fusion protein of Pseudomonas putida metallothionein and Arabidopsis thaliana phytochelatin synthase as the seeding sites under UV irradiation. The resulting FeSe nanoparticles exhibited distinguishable fluorescence properties promising for imageable drug-delivery application. Its demonstration as an imageable drug delivery vehicle is done through poly-gamma-glutamic acid (PGA) encapsulation to form the pH-dependent structural changeable shells. Doxorubicin (DOX) was used as a model drug, so that a drug-delivery system of FeSe@-DOX@PGA was constructed. It was then administered to mice and assessed for its biodistribution over time. The results suggest that FeSe@DOX@PGA is feasible to be used as an imageable drug-delivery platform.