# Surface Chemistry of Gold Nanoparticles Modulates Cytokines and Nanomechanical Properties in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines: A Correlative Study

## TL;DR

This study shows how the surface chemistry of gold nanoparticles affects cytokine levels and cell membrane stiffness in pancreatic cancer cells.

## Contribution

The study reveals a unique correlation between nanoparticle surface chemistry, cytokine expression, and nanomechanical properties in pancreatic cancer cells.

## Key findings

- Pro-tumorigenic cytokines correlate with linear and nonlinear membrane stiffness in cancer cells.
- PEGylation and targeting peptides alter cytokine-nanomechanical relationships in nanoparticle-treated cells.
- Nanoparticle surface chemistry dynamically influences cell membrane properties over time.

## Abstract

Surface chemistry of nanoparticles play significant role in their cellular interaction. Along with other group, we previously demonstrated that dynamic alteration of cell membrane during uptake of gold nanoparticles can be thoroughly probed by nanomechanical properties of cell membrane. Additionally, endocytosis influences intracellular cytokines expression that also impact membrane stiffness. Hence, we have hypothesized that surface chemistry of gold nanoparticles influences intracellular cytokines which in turn imparts dynamic alteration of nanomechanical properties of cellular membrane of pancreatic cancer cells. Various gold nanoparticles decorated with targeting peptide, polyethylene glycol or their combinations have been used to treat two pancreatic cancer cell lines, Panc-1 and AsPC1, for 1 and 24 hours. Atomic force microscope is used to measure linear and nonlinear nanomechanical properties of cell membrane. Intracellular cytokine has been measured using real time polymeric chain reaction. We evaluated several criteria such as receptor dependent vs independent, PEGylated vs non-PEGylated and different timepoints, to deduce correlations between cytokines and nanomechanical attributes. We have identified unique relationship pro-tumorigenic cytokines with both linear and non-linear nanomechanical properties of Panc-1 and AsPC1 cell membrane during uptake of pristine gold nanoparticles or for PEGylation and for targeting peptide conjugation at the nanoparticle surface.