SANS study of Lysozyme vs. BSA protein adsorption on silica nanoparticles

Abstract

Lysozyme (M.W. 14.7 kD) and BSA (M.W. 66.7 kD) are two most commonly studied model proteins in literature. Lysozyme (cationic) and BSA (anionic) are oppositely charged at pH 7 and their interaction with anionic silica nanoparticles has been studied using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Measurements were carried out on fixed 1 wt% concentration of nanoparticles and varying concentration of protein in the range 0.5 to 2 wt%. It is found that both the proteins adsorb on the nanoparticles where strong interaction of lysozyme leads to the aggregation of nanoparticles but the system remains stable with BSA. Adsorption increases with protein concentration and has been found much larger for lysozyme. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.