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Article
Human Insulin Fibril-Assisted Synthesis of Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters in Alkaline Media Under Physiological Temperature
Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces
  • Andrew R. Garcia, University of Miami
  • Ivy Rahn, University of Miami
  • Sheba Johnson, University of Miami
  • Ravi Patel, University of Miami
  • Jingru Guo, University of Miami
  • Jhony Orbulescu, University of Miami; MP Biomedicals LLC
  • Miodrag Micic, MP Biomedicals LLC; Cerritos College
  • Jeffrey D. Whyte, MP Biomedicals LLC
  • Patricia Blackwelder, University of Miami
  • Roger M. Leblanc, University of Miami
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2013
Keywords
  • Nanoclusters,
  • Materials chemistry,
  • Insulin,
  • Fibrillation,
  • Biomacromolecular assembly,
  • Photonics
Abstract

Fluorescent insulin fibrils gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) have been synthesized through the reduction of gold by human insulin in fibrillated form. Likewise, nanocluster formation has been regulated by insulin, working as a protein-based template. Environment- and surface-controlled experiments have shown the optimized synthesis conditions is comprised of a pure aqueous alkaline solvent for insulin under constant heat at physiological temperature (37 °C) prior to addition of the Au precursor (HAuCl4), followed by subsequent heating (37 °C) and vigorous stirring after the addition of HAuCl4 until the completion of the synthetic approach. Microscopy experiments detected the presence of primordial fibril structures in samples of heated human insulin in the alkaline medium prior to addition of HAuCl4, while encountering more developed insulin fibrils in the terminal production of Au NCs. This investigation provides insight to the development of a novel synthesis of Au NCs in the alkaline medium, while providing a graphical description of the environmental and surface-dependent effects that were presented in the synthesis of human insulin nanoclusters. The study provides pertinent information for future synthetic procedures, as the protein state of several protein-nanoparticle systems may reflect on the results that were obtained herein.

DOI
10.1016/j.colsurfb.2012.12.052
Comments

©2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Additional Comments
Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2012.12.052.
Citation Information
Andrew R. Garcia, Ivy Rahn, Sheba Johnson, Ravi Patel, et al.. "Human Insulin Fibril-Assisted Synthesis of Fluorescent Gold Nanoclusters in Alkaline Media Under Physiological Temperature" Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces Vol. 105 (2013) p. 167 - 172 ISSN: 0927-7765
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/patricia-blackwelder/17/