What are the important types of functional groups to add to a nanoparticle to actively target it?
Delivering nanoparticles to the targeted tissue is one of the major challenges faced in nanomedicine. Targeting of the pathogenic area is needed when EPR(enhanced permeability and retention) is not sufficient.
Functionalizing nanoparticles is one of the major techniques that allows for the conjugation with the targeting ligand.
For the purpose of targeting delivery, some reactive moieties are introduced upon the structure of the nanoparticles, thereby providing a functional group that can be conjugated to the targeted ligand. Most of this conjugation chemistry is covalent.
The functional groups that are added to a nanoparticle are:
1) Carbonyl group-it reacts with hydrazide to form hydrazone.
2) amine group-it reacts with activated carboxylate to form an amide linkage.
3) sulfhydryl bonds-thiol reacts with maleimide, halo acetyl, pyridyl disulfide, or gold surface to form thioester, disulfide, or gold thiol bond.
4) azide group-it reacts with phosphine or alkyne to form an amide bond or triazole ring.
Step by step
Solved in 3 steps
