Figures & data
Table 1 Physicochemical characterization of IONP
Figure 1 Characterization of IONP by TEM.
Notes: Micrographs of three different IONP and their size distribution (upper panel). Elemental mapping by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (lower panel). Abbreviations: IONP, iron oxide nanoparticles; PEG, polyethyleneglycol; PVP, polyvinylpyrrolidone; TEM, transmission electron microscope.
Figure 2 Characteristics of recovered in the coronas of the three IONP.
Notes: Venn diagram showing the number of identified proteins and the relative percentage of each group to the total shared (A). Proteins were classified according to their isoelectric point (B) or molecular weight (C) and their relative percentages are shown.
Abbreviations: IONP, iron oxide nanoparticles; PEG, polyethyleneglycol; PVP, polyvinylpyrrolidone.
Figure 3 Biological processes network of associated proteins on IONP.
Notes: Gene ontology was used to group the identified proteins in the corresponding biological process using ClueGo analysis. The label of the most significant term per functional group is shown. IONP-bare (A), IONP-PVP (B), and IONP-PEG (C). **P<0.001 (P-value Corrected with Bonferroni step-down).
Abbreviations: IONP, iron oxide nanoparticles; PEG, polyethyleneglycol; PVP, polyvinylpyrrolidone.
Figure 4 Biological processes network of associated proteins on IONP-PEG PC.
Notes: Gene ontology terms are visualized as nodes linked base on their kappa score level (0.5) using ClueGO analysis. The label of the most significant term per functional group is shown in bold. The node size represents the percent of associated genes of proteins per node.
Abbreviations: IONP, iron oxide nanoparticles; PC, protein corona; PEG, polyethyleneglycol.
Figure 5 IONP-PEG activates the complement system and increases the anaphylatoxin concentration in human blood plasma.
Notes: Quantification of complement activation products by ELISA: levels of anaphylatoxin C3a (A), terminal complement complex, C5a (B), and terminal complement complex, C4a (C) in human plasma. Each bar represents the mean ± SEM of three independent experiments. *Statistically significant difference vs control, *P<0.05 ANOVA post hoc Dunnett’s test. Representative immunoblot of C3 complement component adsorbed in protein corona of IONP (D).
Abbreviations: IONP, iron oxide nanoparticles; PEG, polyethyleneglycol; PVP, polyvinylpyrrolidone; SEM, standard error of the mean.
Figure 6 IONP-PEG activates the complement system and induces a proinflammatory response in mice.
Notes: Quantification of complement activation products by ELISA: levels of anaphylatoxin C5a (A) and terminal complement complex, C5b-9 (B), in plasma of BALB/c mice. Levels of circulating proinflammatory cytokines (C). Biodistribution of IONP in mice exposed (D). Each bar represents the mean ± SEM of n=5 (*P<0.05) ANOVA post hoc Dunnett’s test.
Abbreviations: IONP, iron oxide nanoparticles; PEG, polyethyleneglycol; PVP, polyvinylpyrrolidone; SEM, standard error of the mean.
