Skip to main content
. 2023 May 4;14:2573. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38165-6

Fig. 2. Synthesis and characterization of acNPs.

Fig. 2

A Synthesis route of PESU and PEFSU polymer using polycondensation. B Scanning electron micrograph images of the control NPs and acNPs show that they are of spherical morphology and size around 100 nm (N = 3 independent experiments). Bar, 200 nm. C pH changes of acNPs in 20 mM pH 6.0 and D pH 7.4 PBS buffers over a period of 48 h (N = 3 independent experiments). acNPs significantly acidified buffer within the first 24 h. E Fractional molecular weight changes of control NPs and acNPs in 20 mM pH 6.0 PBS buffer (N = 3 independent experiments). F Dependency of acNP toxicity on dose. Cells were incubated with a range of acNP concentrations for 24 h. acNPs up to 1000 μg/mL did not induce significant cell death. To avoid cytotoxicity, a treatment dose of 100 μg/mL was chosen for further studies (N = 3 independent experiments). G Quantification of rhodamine-labeled acNP (Rho-acNP) uptake in HepG2 cells by flow cytometry. Cellular uptake of Rho-acNPs occurs within 4 h, with complete uptake after 24 h of incubation (N = 3 independent experiments). H Representative confocal microscopy images of Rho-acNPs in HepG2 cells. Rho-acNPs (red channel) localize within the lysosomal compartments (LysoTracker; blue channel) of HepG2 cells. Bar, 10 μm (N = 3 independent experiments). Data are expressed as means ± SD. Source data are available as a Source Data file.