Improving the Anti-inflammatory Response via Gold Nanoparticle Vectorization of CO-Releasing Molecules

Abstract

CO-releasing molecules (CORMs) have been widely studied for their anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and antiproliferative effects. CORM-3 is a water-soluble Ru-based metal carbonyl complex, which metallates serum proteins and readily releases CO in biological media. In this work, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects of gold nanoparticles-CORM-3 conjugates, AuNPs@PEG@BSA·Ru(CO)<i>_x</i>, exploring its use as an efficient CO carrier. Our results suggest that the nanoformulation was capable of inducing a more pronounced cell effect, at the anti-inflammatory level and a faster tissue repair, probably derived from a rapid cell uptake of the nanoformulation that results in the increase of CO inside the cell.