Synthesis of mussel-inspired polydopamine-gallium nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

To established a simple, controlled and reproducible method to synthesize gallium (Ga)-coated polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles (NPs). PDA NPs were synthesized in alkali medium with posterior Ga shell formation due to ion chelation on the NP surface. The obtained results with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy confirmed the incorporation of Ga on the PDA NP surface. The cytotoxicity of Ga-coated PDA NPs was evaluated at different concentrations in contact with human adipose-derived stem cells. Further cell analysis also demonstrated the benefit of Ga-coated PDA NPs, which increased the cell proliferation rate compared with noncoated PDA NPs. This study indicated that Ga could work as an appropriate shell for PDA NPs, inducing cell proliferation at the analyzed concentrations.