Nanochemistry and biotechnology

Bovine Serum Albumin-capped CuS nanoparticles prepared by a mechanochemical approach and their biological activity
Stahorský M.1, Lukáčová Bujňáková Z. 1, Baláž M. 1, Daneu N. 2, Džunda R. 3, Briančin J. 1, Kello M. 4 
1 Department of Mechanochemistry, Institute of Geotechnics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 45, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
E-mail: stahorsky@saske.sk
2 Advanced Materials Department, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
3 Institute of Materials Research, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 04001 Košice, Slovakia
4 Faculty of Medicine, P.J. Safarik University, Trieda SNP 1, 04011 Košice, Slovakia

In this paper, the biocompatible nanosuspension of CuS nanoparticles using bovine serum albumin (BSA) was prepared using a two-stage mechanochemical approach. CuS nanoaprticles were firstly synthetized  by a planetary ball milling (according to [1])  and then a wet stirred media milling in a solution of BSA was introduced to yield the CuS-BSA. The nanosuspension was stable for more than 8 months, as confirmed by photon cross-correlation spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements. The obtained nanosuspension was characterized by UV–Vis and PL spectroscopy, and both scanning and transmission elecetron mciroscopy. The nancocrystalline character of CuS and the presence of BSA was confirmed. The fluorescent properties of the nanocrystals were confirmed by PL spectroscopy, which showed that tryptophan could be closer to the binding site than the tyrosine residue. The biological activity was determined by in vitro tests on selected cancer cell lines. The results have shown that CuS-BSA nanosuspension inhibits the metabolic activity of the cells as well as decreases their viability upon photothermal ablation. 

1.	Baláž M., Zorkovská A., Blazquez J. S., Daneu N., Baláž P. Mechanochemistry of copper sulphides: phase interchanges during milling // J. Mater. Sci.-2017.-52, N 20.-P. 11947-11961.