Molecular Mechanisms in Metal Oxide Nanoparticle Interactions with Biomolecules

Abstract

Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are common in the environment originating on weathering of minerals both in marine and freshwater environments and in soil. Their effects on living organisms are important in view of complex surface chemistry and enhanced surface-to-volume ratio. In the present contribution, three major effects of NP will be considered—(1) their role in mediating interactions between soil microorganisms and plant roots with strong contribution to biofilm formation, (2) the catalytic effects in plant tissues, where NP can act as nanozymes, and (3) specific protein adsorption, resulting in the formation of scaffolds for tissue regeneration. Major tools in this work have been X-ray single crystal, NMR, and electrospray mass spectrometry studies of oxide “cluster” models bearing selected biomolecular ligands.