Nanomedicine is increasingly considered as one of the most promising ways
to overcome the limits of traditional medicine and conventional pharmaceutical
formulations. In particular, polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) represent one of the most
important tools in the nanomedicine field due to their potential in a wide range of
biomedical applications such as imaging, drug targeting and drug delivery. However,
their application is strongly hampered by limited knowledge and control of their
interactions with complex biological systems. In biological environments, NPs are
enshrouded by a layer of biomolecules, predominantly proteins, which tend to associate
with NPs, forming a new surface named 'protein corona' (PC). Thus, the resulting
nano-structure is a new entity, defined as PC-NP complex, featured by new
characteristics, different from the original features of the bare NPs. In this chapter,
starting from the definition of PC, we critically discuss the physico-chemical properties
of polymeric NPs (e.g., size, shape, composition, surface functional groups, surface
charge, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity) and the environmental biological parameters
(blood concentration, plasma gradient, temperature) affecting PC formation and
composition. We further discuss how the new “entity” generated by the interactions
between NPs and proteins in vivo mediates the ability of all the nanosystems to
circulate, biodistribute and selectively release the drugs to the target site. We conclude
by highlighting the gaps in the knowledge of the PC in relation to polymeric NPs and
by discussing the main issues to be addressed and investigated in order to speed up the
translatability of NPs into clinical protocols.
Keywords: In vivo outcome, Protein corona (PC), Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs),
PC-NP complex, Protein –NPs interaction.
