FRESHMAN ENGINEERING HONORS
Acetaminophen Binding with Gold Nanoparticles
Sekinat Mumuney
Faculty Advisor: Philip T. McCreanor, Ph.D.
Mercer University - School of Engineering, Macon, GA
Abstract
Experimental Details
Nanoparticles are currently being studied for their
Process of Creating Gold Nanoparticles
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Gold nanoparticles were created using the Griff Prep Method.
applications as drug delivery systems. They offer an
Add 50 mL of 10 mM HAuCl4 to 450 mL of ultrapure water to
advantage over other drug delivery systems because of
make a 500mL 1 mM solution
their ability to target specific cells and release a drug in Heat to a rolling boil with stirring rod in a round bottom flask, let
a controlled manner. This characteristic of
reflux for 10 minutes
nanoparticles also allows them to reduce the
In a separate beaker, prepare 38.8 mM Na3Citrate by adding
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1.141 g Na3Citrate to 100 mL of ultrapure water
undesirable side effects of drugs. In order to use
Quickly add the Na3Citrate while stirring
nanoparticles as drug delivery systems, the drugs must
The color should change from a light yellow to a deep red
first be bound to the nanoparticles.
Let boil for an additional 10 minutes
The purpose of this project was to synthesize gold
Remove solution from heat and let stir for 15 minutes
nanoparticles and test the nanoparticles’ drug binding
Allow solution to cool to room temperature
Filter through .8 micron filter
ability. Gold nanoparticles were created and bound to
Examine to see if any particles precipitated out of solution
the drug Acetaminophen. The binding of the
Store solution in a clean dark glass container
nanoparticles and the acetaminophen were modeled
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after the binding of gold nanoparticles and proteins. A Preparation of Acetaminophen Solution
flocculation test was performed to measure the
An Acetaminophen solution of concentration 0.75 mg/mL was
prepared in which the gold nanoparticles would be added to. The
stability of the nanoparticles and the Acetaminophen.
Conclusion and Future Work
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Figure 2: Preparation of nanoparticles in a round bottom flask.
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Background Information
Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen (C8H9NO2), also known as
Paracetamol or 4-Acetamidophenol, is the active
ingredient in many medications that are used to reduce
pain and fever. Common medications that contain
acetaminophen include Tylenol, Excedrin, and Pamprin,
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as well as some cold medications.
Acetaminophen was the drug chosen to bind to gold
nanoparticles primarily because of its structure. It is a
“small molecule drug”, with a molecular weight of
151.16 g/mol. There has already been some success
with using gold nanoparticles as vehicles for “small
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molecule drugs”. It was believed that the nanoparticles
would bind to the acetaminophen through hydrogen
bonding.
concentration of the solution was also modeled after the binding of
nanoparticles 2.
Add 0.0375 g of C8H9NO2 to a 50 mL volumetric flask
Fill the flask to the mark with deionized water
Place the stopper in the flask, invert flask to stir solution
References
(1)Wilczewska, A. Z., Niemirowicz, K., & Markiewicz, K. H. (2012).
Nanoparticles as drug delivery systems.Phamacological
Reports, 64, 1020-1037. Retrieved from http://www.ifpan.krakow.pl/pjp/pdf/2012/5_1020.pdf
(2)Smith, L. E., & Seney, C. C. (2013). Determination of binding
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Flocculation Test
A flocculation test is a way to measure the stability of the
nanoparticles once the Acetaminophen has been added. Stable and
uniform nanoparticles increase the likelihood that binding will take
place. First, 1 mL of gold nanoparticles were added to ten cuvettes.
Increasing amounts of C8H9NO2 were added to the cuvettes in 10
Figure 3: Flocculation test of the gold and Acetaminophen
μL increments. The nanoparticles were allowed fifteen minutes to
solution.
bind to the drug. Then 150 μL of 1.0 M NaCl was added to each
cuvette, and the volume of each sample was corrected to 1.5 mL
with ultrapure water. The color of the samples would indicate the
stability of the nanoparticles.
Results
During the 15 minutes, there were no noticeable changes in any of the samples. Upon the addition of NaCl, the color of all the
samples rapidly changed form a wine red to a deep purple.
Before NaCl
The gold nanoparticle solution tuned deep purple
because the nanoparticles flocculated, causing
precipitation to occur. There was not enough surface
coverage from the Acetaminophen to prevent the
nanoparticles from aggregating. The flocculation of the
nanoparticles indicated that the Acetaminophen and gold
nanoparticles were not stable in solution.
The test was not decisive in determining whether
binding occurred between the nanoparticles and
Acetaminophen. A greater concentration of
Acetaminophen may be necessary to prevent the
nanoparticles from flocculating.
Further research needs to be done in order to
determine whether binding occurs. A binding study will
be performed in order to determine the optimal amount
of Acetaminophen necessary for binding., and whether
binding occurs.
After NaCl
Figure 1 : Chemical structure of Acetaminophen5
Mercer University — Spring 2014 Engineering Expo — April 11, 2014 — Macon, GA
properties of protein/au conjugates using calorimetry. Mercer
University, Macon, Ga.
(3)Greenlaw, E. (2011, September 16). Otc pain relief:
Understanding acetaminophen. Retrieved from http://
www.webmd.com/drug-medication/otc-pain-relief-10/painrelievers-acetaminophen?page=2
(4)Han, G., Ghosh, P., & Rotello, V. M. (2007). Multi-functional
gold nanoparticles for drug delivery.Advances in Experimental
Medicine and Biology,620, 48-56.
(5)4-acetamidophenol. (2014). Retrieved from http://
www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/aldrich/a7302?
lang=en®ion=US
(6)Keating, C; Kovasleski, K; Natan, M. J. Phys. Chem. B. 1998,
102:9414-9425
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Engineering Honors
Program at Mercer University. I would like to thank
Dr. Philip T. McCreanor, Director of the Engineering
Honors Program, for his guidance in pursuing and
documenting this project.
I would like to thank Dr. Seney for her advice and
guidance during this project. She was instrumental in
the use of gold nanoparticles as well as the choice of the
drug used in the project.
I would also like to thank Taey Wright for allowing
me to use her gold nanoparticles and for her instruction
during the binding process.