{"id":34779,"date":"2026-03-02T17:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T17:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=34779"},"modified":"2026-03-09T14:28:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T14:28:05","slug":"asu-study-reveals-how-water-can-make-nanomedicine-safer-smarter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/asu-study-reveals-how-water-can-make-nanomedicine-safer-smarter\/","title":{"rendered":"ASU Study Reveals How Water Can Make Nanomedicine Safer, Smarter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Arizona State University scientists have directly measured how water clings to drug-carrying nanoparticles, uncovering a key principle that could make future nanomedicines safer and more precise. Their work lays a thermodynamic foundation for designing nanoparticles that behave predictably inside the body.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nanomedicine has long promised cancer treatments and other therapies that hit only diseased cells while sparing healthy tissue. In reality, getting tiny drug-carrying particles to navigate the body\u2019s defenses has proved far more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, researchers at Arizona State University say a missing piece of the puzzle has been hiding in plain sight: water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a new experimental study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2535339123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the P<em>roceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em>, an ASU team has directly measured how water molecules interact with the surfaces of coated nanoparticles \u2014 and shown that those interactions can help predict how the particles will behave in the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWater is necessary for all life,\u201d lead author Alexandra Navrotsky, a Regents Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences and director of ASU\u2019s Center for Materials of the Universe, said in a news release. \u201cAnd in medicine, it is the first molecule that interacts with any nanoparticle surface in a biological environment. By directly measuring the energetics of water adsorption, we can quantify the interaction potential of the nanoparticle surface and better predict how it will behave in the body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work offers the first quantitative thermodynamic framework linking water\u2013surface energetics to key aspects of nanoparticle performance, such as stability, immune recognition and drug delivery potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why water at the surface matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Engineered nanoparticles designed to carry drugs, act as imaging agents or deliver heat to tumors must survive a gauntlet of biological barriers. As soon as they enter blood, gut or brain fluids, they are instantly surrounded by water and a swarm of proteins and other biomolecules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This microscopic \u201cstew\u201d determines whether nanoparticles clump or stay dispersed, slip past the immune system or get cleared quickly, and ultimately reach their targets or not. Yet despite water\u2019s central role, previous nanomedicine research had not directly measured how strongly water binds to realistic, biomolecule-coated nanoparticles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ASU team set out to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Getting to the core of nanoparticle behavior<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The researchers focused on core\u2013shell nanocomplexes built around magnetite, an iron oxide commonly used in biomedical applications. Around these cores, they added three different types of coatings that represent major classes of biomolecules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A protein (bovine serum albumin), often used as a stand-in for human serum albumin in drug delivery studies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A polysaccharide (potato starch), a sugar-based molecule that tends to be water-loving.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A fatty acid (lauric acid), a lipid that in bulk form does not mix with water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using a highly sensitive calorimetry\u2013gas adsorption system, the team measured how much heat was released as water molecules attached to the dry, coated nanoparticles. That allowed them to quantify the energetics of water adsorption, estimate how much of the surface was hydrophilic, or water-attracting, and compare the behavior with free biomolecules and bare magnetite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each coating, they found, dramatically reshaped how water interacted with the nanoparticle \u2014 and, by extension, how the particle is likely to interact with the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Protein coatings: powerful but \u201cpatchy\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the protein-coated particles, the researchers saw the strongest initial interaction with water. The bovine serum albumin (BSA) created highly active binding sites at the nanoparticle surface, boosting the interaction potential compared with uncoated magnetite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe protein coating increases the surface interaction potential of the nanocomplex,\u201d added first author Kristina Lilova, an ASU scientist on the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the measurements also revealed that the total amount of water taken up by the BSA-coated particles was lower than for free BSA. That suggests the protein did not fully cover the magnetite, leaving bare patches of the core exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut the existence of exposed magnetite regions introduces heterogeneity that may promote protein corona formation and immune recognition,\u201d Lilova added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This kind of surface \u201cpatchiness\u201d could make it easier for opsonins \u2014 proteins that tag foreign objects for clearance \u2014 to latch on, potentially shortening how long the nanoparticles circulate in the bloodstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Starch shells: gentle, reversible interactions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The starch-coated nanoparticles behaved very differently. They presented a large hydrophilic surface area, meaning they could interact with a lot of water, but each individual interaction was weaker than for free starch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microscopy showed that starch chains formed a dense shell around the magnetite core, which limited how easily outside water molecules could reach the surface. Chemically, some of the starch\u2019s water-binding groups were already tied up binding to the magnetite itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even so, the combination of a broad hydrophilic surface and weaker binding may be an advantage for certain therapies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe weaker interaction potential of the starch coating and its relatively large hydrophilic surface area suggest more dynamic and reversible binding,\u201d Lilova added. \u201cThis may be beneficial in drug delivery, where mobility along cell membranes and reduced cytotoxicity are desirable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such reversible interactions could allow nanoparticles to move along cell surfaces and exchange cargo without tearing membranes or triggering strong toxic effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fatty acids: a surprising switch to water-loving<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps the most unexpected result came from lauric acid, the fatty acid coating. In its normal crystalline form, lauric acid essentially ignores water \u2014 a familiar oil-and-water effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the nanoparticle surface, though, the story changed. The lauric acid molecules reorganized into a partial bilayer structure, somewhat like a simplified version of a cell membrane. That arrangement created a strongly hydrophilic interface that held onto a stable layer of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fatty acid rearranges into a partial bilayer with very strong hydrophilicity,\u201d added Lilova. \u201cThat structure increases stability and may reduce immune activation compared to more hydrophobic surfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A more stable, hydrated coating could help nanoparticles stay dispersed longer in the bloodstream and avoid being flagged too quickly by the immune system, potentially extending their circulation time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Toward \u201cGoldilocks\u201d nanomedicine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across all three coatings, the study shows that hydration energetics \u2014 the thermodynamic signature of how water binds \u2014 can serve as a powerful design parameter. It reflects not only how water-friendly a surface is, but also how uniform or heterogeneous that surface may be and how it is likely to interact with biological systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The researchers suggest that, taken together, these measurements could help build a \u201cGoldilocks\u201d tool for nanoparticle design, guiding scientists toward coatings that are not too sticky or too slippery, but \u201cjust right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur findings show that surface functionalization doesn\u2019t just change chemistry\u2014it fundamentally alters the thermodynamic landscape at the nano-bio interface,\u201d Lilova added. \u201cBy understanding primary hydration energetics, we can rationally engineer nanocarriers with tailored stability, immune interactions and drug delivery behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navrotsky emphasized that the work lays a rigorous foundation for the next generation of nanomedicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis research provides a thermodynamic foundation for designing nanocarriers with predictable biological reactivity,\u201d she said. \u201cIt moves us one step closer to truly rational nanomedicine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking ahead, the team sees broad applications for their approach, from targeted cancer therapies and imaging contrast agents to biosensors. Future studies will build on this thermodynamic framework to directly measure how different biomolecular coatings stabilize nanocomplexes under more complex, realistic biological conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If successful, such efforts could help turn the long-held vision of nanomedicine into practical treatments: tiny, carefully engineered particles that carry drugs exactly where they are needed, stay in the body just long enough to do their job and then quietly disappear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:14px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/1118166\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Arizona State University<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arizona State University scientists have directly measured how water clings to drug-carrying nanoparticles, uncovering a key principle that could make future nanomedicines safer and more precise. Their work lays a thermodynamic foundation for designing nanoparticles that behave predictably inside the body.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[196],"class_list":["post-34779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","tag-arizona-state-university"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Arizona State University scientists have directly measured how water clings to drug-carrying nanoparticles, uncovering a key principle that could make future nanomedicines safer and more precise. Their work lays a thermodynamic foundation for designing nanoparticles that behave predictably inside the body.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34779"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35058,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34779\/revisions\/35058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}