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Nanoporous silica nanoparticles as biomaterials: evaluation of different strategies for the functionalization with polysialic acid by step-by-step cytocompatibility testing

  • Biocompatibility Studies
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Abstract

Nanoporous silica materials have become a prominent novel class of biomaterials which are typically applied as nanoparticles or thin films. Their large surface area combined with the rich surface chemistry of amorphous silica affords the possibility to equip this material with variable functionalities, also with several different ones on the same particle or coating. Although many studies have shown that nanoporous silica is apparently non-toxic and basically biocompatible, any surface modification may change the surface properties considerably and, therefore, the modified materials should be checked for their biocompatibility at every step. Here we report on different silane-based functionalization strategies, firstly a conventional succinic anhydride-based linker system and, secondly, copper-catalyzed click chemistry, to bind polysialic acid, a polysaccharide important in neurogenesis, onto nanoporous silica nanoparticles (NPSNPs) of MCM-41 type. At each of the different modification steps, the materials are characterized by cell culture experiments. The results show that polysialic acid can be immobilized on the surface of NPSNPs by using different strategies. The cell culture experiments show that the kind of surface immobilization has a strong influence on the toxicity of the material versus the cells. Whereas most modifications appear inoffensive, NPSNPs modified by click reactions are toxic, probably due to residues of the Cu catalyst used in these reactions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the DFG within the framework of the research group 548. It also profited from support from the Cluster of Excellence Hearing4all. The authors thank Florian Waltz for assistance with the SEM measurements. We also thank Sven-Jare Lohmeier for the absorption measurements and Stella Kittel and Carla Vogt for determining the amount of copper in the nanoparticle materials. We thank Stefanie Böhm for performing the first cell culture experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cluster of Excellence „Hearing4all“, Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Callinstraße 9, 30167, Hannover, Germany

    Sina Williams, Imke Bremer & Peter Behrens

  2. Department für Biotechnologie, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria

    Anne Neumann & Cornelia Kasper

  3. Institut für Technische Chemie, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Callinstraße 5, 30167, Hannover, Germany

    Anne Neumann & Cornelia Kasper

  4. Institut für Organische Chemie, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Schneiderberg 1B, 30167, Hannover, Germany

    Yi Su & Gerald Dräger

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  1. Sina Williams
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Correspondence to Peter Behrens.

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Williams, S., Neumann, A., Bremer, I. et al. Nanoporous silica nanoparticles as biomaterials: evaluation of different strategies for the functionalization with polysialic acid by step-by-step cytocompatibility testing. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 26, 125 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-015-5409-3

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