Singlet oxygen generated from the irradiation of gold nanoparticles by a pulsed laser was used to cross-link (photopolymerize) protein and form micron-scaled structures. The excitation within the plasmon resonance absorbance band of gold nanoparticles results in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as singlet oxygen. To determine cross-linking potential, solutions of bovine serum albumin containing various sizes of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles were irradiated using a Nd<sup>3+</sup>-YAG pulsed laser directed onto the stage of a Zeiss AxioObserver A1 inverted microscope. Ideal parameters were then determined to minimize damage and maximize cross-linking efficiency. The gold nanoparticles were aggregated using a variety of cations to determine if shifts in the plasmon resonance absorbance band resulted in an increase in cross-linking. It was determined that gold nanoparticles aggregated with +2 cations resulted in larger structures and cross-linking occurred with less exposure time. The ability to produce singlet oxygen shows that gold nanoparticles have the potential to serve as biocompatible photoactivators for photopolymerization reactions involving proteins. ROS scavengers sodium azide and mannitol were then added to confirm that the structures were forming as a result of the singlet oxygen generated from gold nanoparticles. These scavengers were able to stop the formation of cross-links confirming that protein cross-linking was achieved using various sizes of gold nanoparticles as photoactivators.

Gold nanoparticles as a photoactivator for the photopolymerization of proteins

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