Visible light-accelerated formation of lipoprotein microgels within all-aqueous emulsions mediated by Au3+
| dc.contributor.author | Hu, Keqing | |
| dc.contributor.author | Velders, Aldrik H. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Madadlou, Ashkan | |
| dc.contributor.author | Saggiomo, Vittorio | |
| dc.contributor.funder | China Scholarship Council | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T11:50:07Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T11:50:07Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026-06-18 | |
| dc.description.abstract | All-aqueous emulsions (AAEs) provide an oil-free template for fabricating biomicrogels. We show that visible light irradiation promotes the Au3+-induced oxidation of tyrosine residues in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), accelerating HDL microgel formation within AAEs. Au3+ is concomitantly reduced to Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). Irradiance at 50 mW cm−2 yielded spherical microgels within ∼3 min, compared to ∼30 min without light (≈10×faster), and higher irradiance produced smaller particles. Fluorescence spectroscopy after AuNPs dissolution with potassium cyanide confirmed rapid di-tyrosine formation (λex ≈330 nm, λem ≈391 nm), with faster kinetics under illumination than in the dark. Wavelength tests indicated that broad visible light was more effective than single-band illumination, consistent with overlap of protein and Au3+/AuNP absorption. Importantly, illumination reduced the Au3+ requirement for gelation. Microgels formed at Au3+-to-HDL ratios as low as 100−300:1 under light, whereas ≈500:1 was needed in the dark. Confocal and electron microscopy verified spherical morphology. These results demonstrate a mild, fully aqueous, and light-assisted route for producing HDL microgels through AAE templating. The work establishes a strategy for HDL microgel formation, while potential applications in microfluidics, 3D bioprinting, and controlled delivery require further investigation. | en |
| dc.description.sponsorship | China Scholarship Council|202006300032 | |
| dc.description.version | Published Version | |
| dc.format.extent | 9 | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en |
| dc.identifier.articleid | 140930 | |
| dc.identifier.authororcid | Hu, Keqing | |
| dc.identifier.authororcid | Velders, Aldrik H. | |
| dc.identifier.authororcid | Madadlou, Ashkan | |
| dc.identifier.authororcid | Saggiomo, Vittorio | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Hu, K, Velders, A H, Madadlou, A & Saggiomo, V 2026, 'Visible light-accelerated formation of lipoprotein microgels within all-aqueous emulsions mediated by Au 3+', Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, vol. 723, 140930, pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2026.140930 | |
| dc.identifier.doi | 10.1016/j.jcis.2026.140930 | |
| dc.identifier.endpage | 9 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0021-9797 | |
| dc.identifier.journaltitle | Journal of Colloid and Interface Science | |
| dc.identifier.startpage | 1 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10468/19009 | |
| dc.identifier.volume | 723 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Academic Press Inc. | |
| dc.rights | © 2026, the Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). | |
| dc.rights.accessrights | open access | |
| dc.rights.licensename | Attribution 4.0 International | |
| dc.rights.uri | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | |
| dc.status | Peer reviewed | |
| dc.subject | Gelation | |
| dc.subject | Photo-crosslinking | |
| dc.subject | Protein microgels | |
| dc.subject | Visible light | |
| dc.subject | [FoodNutritionalSciences] | |
| dc.title | Visible light-accelerated formation of lipoprotein microgels within all-aqueous emulsions mediated by Au3+ | en |
| dc.type | Article (peer-reviewed) |
