Biocompatibility of 2D Silicon Nitride: Interaction at the Nano-Bio interface

TL;DR

This study uses molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate the biocompatibility of 2D hexagonal silicon nitride nanosheets, showing they weakly interact with key proteins without disrupting their structures, indicating potential safety for biomedical applications.

Contribution

First detailed molecular dynamics analysis of 2D silicon nitride's interaction with human serum albumin and p53, demonstrating its biocompatibility in biological environments.

Findings

Weak binding to proteins without structural disruption

No significant change in protein secondary structures

Supports potential biomedical use of Si3N4 nanosheets

Abstract

Determining potential abilities of nanostructures to induce toxicity to biological molecules is still a convoluted challenge in the realm of nanomedicine. Based on the unprecedented achievements of twodimensional nanomaterials in nearly all areas of applied sciences particularly medicine, we carried out all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to assess the biologically-important, yet-unmapped issue of the biocompatibility of 2D, hexagonal \b{eta}-Si3N4 nanosheet via investigating its possible cross interactions with both human serum albumin (HSA) and p53 tumor suppressor. Examining the conventional MD indicators in the presence and absence of the monolayer revealed that hexagonal Si3N4 nanosheet weakly binds to these two proteins without inducing any important, dramatic change to their secondary structures, revealing accordingly the biological compatibility of the monolayer in case it is released as therapeutics or carriers in vivo. This finding was also broadly supported by the related, time-dependent behaviors of the protein-monolayer as well as the protein-water interaction energies.