(731a) One-Step Preparation of Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles by Using Nucleic Acids As Templates

Razieh Khalifehzadeh, Helen C. Chen, Hong Shen*

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Box 351750, Seattle, WA 98195

The development of carriers that encapsulate and safely direct the therapeutic agents into the target tissues and intracellular compartments is a rapidly emerging field in biomedical research. Among particulate delivery systems, calcium phosphate (CaP) nanoparticles have gained increasing attention due to their high biocompatibility and excellent biodegradability. CaP nanoparticles have a composition similar to the inorganic minerals of the natural bone and teeth. They are easily taken up by cells and degraded in lysosomes due to their intrinsic pH-dependent solubility. The synthesis of CaP nanoparticles with uniform morphology and size distribution has been a challenging issue.

In this study, mono-dispersed spherical CaP nanoparticles were synthesized by using nucleic acids as templates for mineralization at 37°C and at physiological pH. The effects of length and sequence of nucleic acids and mineralizing solutions on the size, polydispersity, crysrallinity, composition, surface charge and morphology of these nanoparticles were investigated.