Mixed organic-inorganic nanocomposites as a tool for study of multicomponent interactions

Mixed nanocomposites combined both organic and inorganic compounds extend our capabilities to form nanostructured architectures of advanced functionality for different sensing applications. Such architectures can be used in sensors and systems of medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring etc, in particular, those based on the transducers of surface plasmon resonance. Usually when investigating bio- and chemospecific interactions typical approach is the immobilization at the sensor surface of the one reagent (receptor) and detection of its binding to other ones (analytes) one by one, which rest in the solution. However in real situation simultaneous multicomponent interactions are much more typical.

The formation of the complex nanocomposite based on the mix of polysaccharide and metal nanoparcicles can be a possible way to study multicomponent interactions in real conditions. Au-glycane nanocomposite was obtained by reduction of metal from HAuCl₄ salt under the base condition where glycane play a role of macromolecular reducer and stabilizer as was confirmed by absorption spectra of product demonstrating the presence of the wide band with the maximum near 560 nm specific for local surface plasmon excitation in gold nanostructures. As a model reaction the interaction of above mentioned nanocomposite with Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) and specific antibodies was chosen. Untreated virus and virus, firstly pretreated by above mentioned nanocomposite, were then incubated with antibodies. Further observation of the complex immobilization to the sensor surface demonstrated that the complexation with the nano-composite changed the binding capabilities of the virus. Antiviral activity of the complex was also demonstrated in vivo at the Datura stramonium