A simple synthesis of polymer coated gold and silver nanoparticles in water for potential use in biomedical applications

Abstract

In this study Silver (Ag) and Gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) of different surface charges (positively charged, negatively charged, or nearly neutral) and sizes were obtained using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent and multiple polymers such as Chitosan (Chit), Poly-L-Lysine (PLL), Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Polyethylene glycol (PEG) or sodium citrate as stabilizing ligands. The obtained NPs were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), and Zeta Potential (Q measurements. On the other hand, AuNPs with different coating (PLL, PVA and PEG) and charges were tested on whole human blood samples, specifically on neutrophils using a Neutrophil Function Test (NFT). Our results demonstrated that AuNPs-PVA with a slight negative charge (C = -15 mV) and PEgylated AuNPs-PLL (AuNPs-PLL-PEG) with a slight positive charge (ζ = + 9 mV) were found to be the least detected by neutrophils making them suitable for biomedical applications.