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Plasmonic Interaction of Gold Nanoparticles with the Anti-hypoglycemic Medicament Metformin

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Abstract

Metformin (MF) is one of the most important medicaments in the market and has been extensively employed in treating type 2 diabetes. In this work, we have observed that, because of its positive charge, MF interacts with negatively charged gold nanoparticles, leading to agglomeration even at low concentrations (< 0.01 mmol L−1). This is accompanied by the rise of a plasmon coupling band at 645 nm, allowing its colorimetric monitoring with a limit of detection, LOD, of 1.9 µmol L−1. However, above 0.01 mmol L−1, aggregation takes place, shifting the plasmonic band to 700 nm. Consequently, in this range of concentration, the optical correlation departs from that observed in the agglomeration regime. Therefore, for a critical evaluation, a systematic monitoring of the spectral changes is required to differentiate between the agglomeration and aggregation regimes, as reported in this work. The interaction of metformin with gold nanoparticles has also been monitored by Raman spectroscopy, through the SERS effect. The large enhancement of the Raman signals promoted by the plasmonic nanoparticles improved the detection limit to 0.093 µmol L−1. While monitoring the plasmonic band has inherently a low specificity, the Raman technique provides an unequivocal detection of metformin, based on its characteristic vibrational profiles.

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Funding

The financial support from FAPESP – Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, grant 2018/21489-1, is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Artur L. Hennemann, Miguel D. Ramos Jr, Luca M. Sihn, Marcelo Nakamura, Koiti Araki & Henrique E. Toma

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  1. Artur L. Hennemann
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  2. Miguel D. Ramos Jr
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  3. Luca M. Sihn
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  4. Marcelo Nakamura
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  5. Koiti Araki
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  6. Henrique E. Toma
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Contributions

M.D. Ramos Jr, A. L. Hennemann, and L. M. Sihn performed the analytical and spectrophotometric measurements, M. Nakamura carried out the CytoViva study, K. Araki and H. E. Toma were responsible for conceptualization, Raman investigation, and writing.

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Correspondence to Henrique E. Toma.

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Hennemann, A.L., Ramos, M.D., Sihn, L.M. et al. Plasmonic Interaction of Gold Nanoparticles with the Anti-hypoglycemic Medicament Metformin. Plasmonics (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11468-024-02341-1

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