Gold nanoparticles can induce the formation of protein-based aggregates at physiological pH.

Protein-nanoparticle interactions are of central importance in the biomedical applications of nanoparticles, as well as in the growing biosafety concerns of nanomaterials. We observe that gold nanoparticles initiate protein aggregation at physiological pH, resulting in the formation of extended, amorphous protein-nanoparticle assemblies, accompanied by large protein aggregates without embedded nanoparticles. Proteins at the Au nanoparticle surface are observed to be partially unfolded; these nanoparticle-induced misfolded proteins likely catalyze the observed aggregate formation and growth.