Nanovacuums: Nanoparticle Uptake and Differential Cellular Migration on a Carpet of Nanoparticles

The behavior of prostate carcinoma (PC3) cells and human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells when incubated with sedimented Au NPs in vitro is studied. Darkfield microscopy demonstrates that both PC3 and HDF cells can “vacuum” Au NPs from the surface. Mean square displacement and mean cumulative square distance of cells shows that PC3 migration decreases in the presence of Au NPs while for HDF, migration is dependent on the surface charge and shape of Au NPs.