Understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerization

Currently, one of the bottlenecks in the large-scale production of particles used for biomedical purposes is reproducibility achieving sizes less than 100 nm. For this reason, the main purpose of this work was to elucidate how the size of polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs), which are widely used i...

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Main Authors: C. Alonso, C. Nieto, J.C. Vargas, M.A. Vega, E.M. Martín del Valle
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Chemical Engineering Journal Advances
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666821124000553
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author C. Alonso
C. Nieto
J.C. Vargas
M.A. Vega
E.M. Martín del Valle
author_facet C. Alonso
C. Nieto
J.C. Vargas
M.A. Vega
E.M. Martín del Valle
author_sort C. Alonso
collection DOAJ
description Currently, one of the bottlenecks in the large-scale production of particles used for biomedical purposes is reproducibility achieving sizes less than 100 nm. For this reason, the main purpose of this work was to elucidate how the size of polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs), which are widely used in cancer nanomedicine, was affected by several synthesis parameters to facilitate their production scaling-up. Specifically, PDA NPs growth kinetics were investigated as a function of the polymerization temperature (15–50 °C) and the type of alcohol (ethanol, 2-propanol, or a mixture of both) used to produce them, finding that an increase in temperature and the amount of 2-propanol in the solvent media allowed smaller NPs to be obtained. Based on the results achieved, a mathematical model capable of predicting PDA NP diameter as a function of the temperature and reaction time, the NH4OH concentration, and the type of alcohol used to synthesize them was proposed. Also, PDA solubility in the different media was studied to explain NP size behavior depending on the type of alcohol employed, which conditioned the formation of PDA oligomers. Finally, additional assays were conducted to confirm that an increase in the synthesis temperature did not affect some of the most important properties of PDA NPs from a biomedical point of view: their Fe3+-loading capacity and their inherent antitumor activity. Therefore, the results obtained in this research could be useful to scale-up the obtaining of 100 nm PDA NPs in a reproducible manner hereafter without significantly altering their outstanding physical-chemical properties.
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spelling doaj-art-e99fc0e99e5840e7bed35835978b47d62025-08-20T02:30:23ZengElsevierChemical Engineering Journal Advances2666-82112024-11-012010063810.1016/j.ceja.2024.100638Understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerizationC. Alonso0C. Nieto1J.C. Vargas2M.A. Vega3E.M. Martín del Valle4Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Textil, Universidad de Salamanca, Plaza de los Caídos s/n, 37008, Salamanca, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Química y Textil, Universidad de Salamanca, Plaza de los Caídos s/n, 37008, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Complejo Asistencial de Salamanca, Paseo de San Vicente, 58, 37008, Salamanca, SpainDepartamento de Ingeniería Química y Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, AK 30 45-03, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartamento de Ingeniería Química y Textil, Universidad de Salamanca, Plaza de los Caídos s/n, 37008, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Complejo Asistencial de Salamanca, Paseo de San Vicente, 58, 37008, Salamanca, Spain; Corresponding author.Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Textil, Universidad de Salamanca, Plaza de los Caídos s/n, 37008, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Complejo Asistencial de Salamanca, Paseo de San Vicente, 58, 37008, Salamanca, SpainCurrently, one of the bottlenecks in the large-scale production of particles used for biomedical purposes is reproducibility achieving sizes less than 100 nm. For this reason, the main purpose of this work was to elucidate how the size of polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs), which are widely used in cancer nanomedicine, was affected by several synthesis parameters to facilitate their production scaling-up. Specifically, PDA NPs growth kinetics were investigated as a function of the polymerization temperature (15–50 °C) and the type of alcohol (ethanol, 2-propanol, or a mixture of both) used to produce them, finding that an increase in temperature and the amount of 2-propanol in the solvent media allowed smaller NPs to be obtained. Based on the results achieved, a mathematical model capable of predicting PDA NP diameter as a function of the temperature and reaction time, the NH4OH concentration, and the type of alcohol used to synthesize them was proposed. Also, PDA solubility in the different media was studied to explain NP size behavior depending on the type of alcohol employed, which conditioned the formation of PDA oligomers. Finally, additional assays were conducted to confirm that an increase in the synthesis temperature did not affect some of the most important properties of PDA NPs from a biomedical point of view: their Fe3+-loading capacity and their inherent antitumor activity. Therefore, the results obtained in this research could be useful to scale-up the obtaining of 100 nm PDA NPs in a reproducible manner hereafter without significantly altering their outstanding physical-chemical properties.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666821124000553Polydopamine nanoparticlesKineticsMathematical modelIron adsorptionAntitumor activity
spellingShingle C. Alonso
C. Nieto
J.C. Vargas
M.A. Vega
E.M. Martín del Valle
Understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerization
Chemical Engineering Journal Advances
Polydopamine nanoparticles
Kinetics
Mathematical model
Iron adsorption
Antitumor activity
title Understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerization
title_full Understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerization
title_fullStr Understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerization
title_full_unstemmed Understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerization
title_short Understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerization
title_sort understanding the growth kinetics of polydopamine nanoparticles as a function of the temperature and the type of alcohol used as solvent media in their polymerization
topic Polydopamine nanoparticles
Kinetics
Mathematical model
Iron adsorption
Antitumor activity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666821124000553
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