Venom-loaded cationic-functionalized poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles for serum production against Tityus serrulatus scorpion

• Philippe de Castro Mesquita,
• Karla Samara Rocha Soares,
• Manoela Torres-Rêgo,
• Emanuell dos Santos-Silva,
• Mariana Farias Alves-Silva,
• Alianda Maira Cornélio,
• Matheus de Freitas Fernandes-Pedrosa and
• Arnóbio Antônio da Silva-Júnior

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 1633–1643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.115

• polyethylenimine for loading peptides and proteins of T. serrulatus venom, and their use as a potential immunoadjuvant was evaluated. The protein loading efficiency of about 100% and the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis assay confirmed the success of venom loading. Dynamic light scattering and zeta potential

• controlled by diffusion mechanism was also measured. Finally, in vivo immunization in BALB/c mice showed superior efficacy of the T. serrulatus venom protein-loaded nanoparticles compared to the traditional aluminum hydroxide immunoadjuvant. Thus, the formulations shown are promising nanocarriers to be used

• as a biotechnological approach to immunotherapy against scorpion envenomation. Keywords: cationic nanoparticles; immunoadjuvant; polyethylenimine; poly(lactic acid); Tityus serrulatus; Introduction Accidents caused by scorpion envenoming are recognized as an important public health problem in