Preferential binding of positive nanoparticles on cell membranes is due to electrostatic interactions: A too simplistic explanation that does not take into account the nanoparticle protein corona

•Positive nanoparticles/cell membrane interactions are privileged.•It is supposedly due to favorable electrostatic interactions.•But in biological media, proteins adsorb on nanoparticle, altering surface charge.•Thus, protein corona adds a level of complexity in nanoparticle/cell interactions.•It further impacts cellular uptake and biological behavior.

The internalization of nanoparticles by cells (and more broadly the nanoparticle/cell interaction) is a crucial issue both for biomedical applications (for the design of nanocarriers with enhanced cellular uptake to reach their intracellular therapeutic targets) and in a nanosafety context (as the internalized dose is one of the key factors in cytotoxicity). Many parameters can influence the nanoparticle/cell interaction, among them, the nanoparticle physico-chemical features, and especially the surface charge. It is generally admitted that positive nanoparticles are more uptaken by cells than neutral or negative nanoparticles. It is supposedly due to favorable electrostatic interactions with negatively charged cell membrane. However, this theory seems too simplistic as it does not consider a fundamental element: the nanoparticle protein corona. Indeed, once introduced in a biological medium nanoparticles adsorb proteins at their surface, forming a new interface defining the nanoparticle “biological identity”. This adds a new level of complexity in the interactions with biological systems that cannot be any more limited to electrostatic binding. These interactions will then influence cell behavior. Based on a literature review and on an example of our own experience the parameters involved in the nanoparticle protein corona formation as well as in the nanoparticle/cell interactions are discussed.

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