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Gold nanoparticles with a variety of ligands were found to act as biomimetic templates for the mineralization of calcium phosphate. Gold nanoparticles are useful scaffold for the development of multi-functional materials due to their ease of synthesize and functionalization. This work describes the synthesis, characterization, and analysis of these gold nanoparticles, as well as methods of attaching known DNA aptamers to their surface. Nanoparticles were synthesized with a range of ligands, including glutathione (GSH), tiopronin (TIO), 3-mercaptobenzoic acid (3MBA), and poly-ethylene glycol (PEG). TEM analysis revealed approximately 4 nm diameter gold cores depending on the ligand and the synthesis method. DNA linker and aptamers were attached through place exchange and base-pair hybridization, purified through spin filtration, and analyzed with absorbance. Nanoparticles presenting both GSH and PEG were found to promote mineralization at a higher degree than those with TIO or 3MBA at concentrations of 12.5 nM and 25 nM. Mineralization results for the DNA aptamer-presenting nanoparticles are in progress with the goal of creating a nanoparticle library for biomimetic mineralization templates.
Bone formation involves the mineralization of calcium phosphate within the fibers of collagen and requires a variety of non-collagenous proteins in controlling the process. Biomimetic molecules, such as selected ssDNA aptamers, could be used to promote the same intrafibrillar mineralization…
In the process of bone formation, collagen fibrils are a major structural component for the growth of calcium phosphate mineral. In the event bone cannot regenerate, biomimetic scaffolds could potentially replace artificial repair materials and usurp the role of collagen in bone formation…
Calcium phosphate mineralization is an important process relating to bone and enamel formation in vivo. A wide range of biomimetic template molecules have been studied to direct the process of mineralization, including poly-aspartic acid, DNA aptamers, and gold nanoparticles…