Investigating the interaction between plasmonic nanoparticles and amyloid fibrils by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

In this contribution we provide nanoscale insights into the molecular interaction between insulin amyloid fibrils and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with different surface chemistry. By employing AuNPs as plasmonic nanoantennas and taking advantage of the high sensitivity and spatial resolution of surface enhanced Raman scattering, we identify the specific amino acids that are directly in contact with the nanoparticle surface. Our results emphasize the critical role of the surface chemistry in driving fibril disassembly, with distinct differences observed between the analyzed AuNPs.