Biomimetic Mineralization of Iron-Fumarate Nanoparticles for Protective Encapsulation and Intracellular Delivery of Proteins

Biomimetic mineralization of proteins and nucleic acids into hybrid metal-organic nanoparticles allows for protection and cellular delivery of these sensitive and generally membrane-impermeable biomolecules. Although the concept is not necessarily restricted to zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), so far reports about intracellular delivery of functional proteins have focused on ZIF structures. Here, we present a green room-temperature synthesis of amorphous iron-fumarate nanoparticles under mildly acidic conditions in water to encapsulate bovine serum albumin (BSA), horseradish peroxidase (HRP), green fluorescent protein (GFP), and Cas9/sgRNA ribonucleoproteins (RNPs). The synthesis conditions preserve the activity of enzymatic model proteins and the resulting nanoparticles deliver functional HRP and Cas9 RNPs into cells. Incorporation into the iron-fumarate nanoparticles preserves and protects the activity of RNPs composed of the acid-sensitive Cas9 protein and hydrolytically labile RNA even during exposure to pH 3.5 and storage for 2 months at 4 °C, which are conditions that strongly impair the functionality of unprotected RNPs. Thus, the biomimetic mineralization into iron-fumarate nanoparticles presents a versatile platform for the delivery of biomolecules and protects them from degradation during storage under challenging conditions.