Influence of bound dodecanoic acid on the reconstitution of albumin nanoparticles from a lyophilized state

The development of reference standards for nanoparticle sizing allows for cross laboratory studies and effective transfer of particle sizing methodology. To facilitate this, these reference standards must be stable upon long-term storage. Here, we examine factors that influence the properties of cross-linked albumin nanoparticles, fabricated with an ethanol desolvation method, when reconstituted from a lyophilized state. We demonstrate, with nanoparticle tracking analysis, no significant changes in mean particle diameter upon reconstitution of albumin nanoparticles fabricated with bovine serum albumin loaded with dodecanoic acid, when compared to nanoparticles fabricated with a fatty acid-free BSA. We attribute this stability to the modulation of nanoparticle charge-charge interactions at dodecanoic acid specific binding locations. Furthermore, we demonstrate this in a lyophilized state over six months when stored at − 80 °C. We also show that the reconstitution process is readily transferable between technicians and laboratories and further confirm our finding with dynamic light scattering analysis.