Protein Corona Prevents TiO2 Phototoxicity
Maja Garvas, Anze Testen, Polona Umek, Alexandre Gloter, Tilen Koklic, Janez StrancarPLoS ONE, June 2015; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129577 (read more here).
In brief
We used fluorescence and spin trapping EPR spectroscopy to reveal that the ratio between the nanoparticle and protein concentrations determines the amount of the nanoparticles’ surface which is not covered by the serum proteins and is proportional to the amount of photo-induced radicals. Phototoxicity of TiO2 thus becomes substantial only at the protein concentration being too low to completely coat the nanotubes’ surface.