The transport of mRNA plays an indispensable role in vaccine drug delivery and emerging therapies. The attachment of lipid nanoparticle encapsulating mRNA (mRNA-LNP) to biological and engineering surfaces is determined by their intermolecular and surface interactions. In this work, the interactions between mRNA-LNP and surfaces with various functional groups were investigated using atomic force microscopy. The results show that mRNA chains are coiled in LNPs, and the surface charges of mRNA are screened by the surrounding lipid molecules. Approach force curves demonstrate that the steric repulsion varies with functional groups. Force mapping reveals that the intermolecular interactions, i.e., hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction, contribute to the adhesion. The –OH group is suggested as the most probable binding site for mRNA-LNP attachment. This work provides new insights into mRNA transport mechanisms at biological and engineering surfaces, with useful implications for designing novel nanocarriers and developing functional surfaces for biological applications.

中文翻译：

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探索脂质纳米颗粒封装的 mRNA 与不同官能团表面的相互作用机制：对 mRNA 转运的意义


mRNA 的运输在疫苗药物递送和新兴疗法中起着不可或缺的作用。脂质纳米颗粒封装 mRNA （mRNA-LNP） 与生物和工程表面的结合取决于它们的分子间和表面相互作用。在这项工作中，使用原子力显微镜研究了 mRNA-LNP 与具有各种官能团的表面之间的相互作用。结果表明，mRNA 链盘绕在 LNPs 中，mRNA 的表面电荷被周围的脂质分子筛选。接近力曲线表明，空间排斥力随官能团而变化。力映射显示分子间相互作用，即氢键和静电相互作用，有助于粘附。–OH 基团被认为是 mRNA-LNP 附着最可能的结合位点。这项工作为生物和工程表面的 mRNA 转运机制提供了新的见解，对设计新型纳米载体和开发用于生物应用的功能表面具有有益的意义。