Figure 2

Carboxyl-functionalized NPs disperse mucin gel aggregation.

Negatively-charged NPs of (A) 120 nm (n≥6) and (B) 24 nm (n≥6) significantly reduced sizes of aggregated mucus masses from ∼8 µm to below 3 µm in 24 hrs of incubation. Various concentrations (red solid triangles: 0.1 mg/L, blue solid rhombus: 0.5 mg/L, green solid triangles: 1 mg/L) of negatively-charged NPs (120 and 24 nm) were added to mucin solution (1 mg/L). White open circles represent sizes of (A) 120 nm (1 mg/L) and (B) 24 nm (1 mg/L) NPs per se (n≥6) throughout 24 hrs. No significant self-clumping was observed. Black solid squares represent sizes of mucin aggregates (1 mg/L; mucin control, n≥6) throughout 72 hrs. The sizes of mucin aggregates were determined with DLS as described previously^9,21.