2026-10-10T21:06:00Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34025061 2026-09-29T16:15:00Z category_4 category_7 category_12 category_16 category_24 category_873 category_62 category_64 category_132 portal_63 item_type_6 month_year_09_2026

Microvilli-Mediated Transport and Internalization of Extracellularly Assembled Nanoparticles in Kidney Proximal Tubules Samira Ahrari (25137912) Mengxiao Yu (1311708) Wei Xiao (16583) Arefeh Shafie (25137915) Xuhui Ning (1974772) Jie Zheng (31208) Biochemistry Medicine Cell Biology Physiology Evolutionary Biology Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Marine Biology Cancer Infectious Diseases undergoes extracellular ros nanoclusters (∼ 0 like gold nanostructures large luminal nanoassemblies extracellularly assembled nanoparticles proximal tubular lumen 11 </ sub proximal tubular microvilli border microvilli capture tubular lumen border microvilli unrecognized function unique microenvironment microvillar tips microvillar base membrane extrusion mediated biotransformation healthy kidneys findings demonstrate filtered nanomaterials filtered au coated au clearable nanomaterials apical vacuoles apical pinching actively reabsorb 6 nm Proximal tubules, with their unique microenvironment and specialized brush-border microvilli, actively reabsorb, metabolize, and process filtered molecular cargos, yet how they interact with renal-clearable nanomaterials after glomerular filtration remains poorly understood. Here, using reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive glutathione-coated Au₁₁ nanoclusters (∼0.6 nm) as a model, we show that renal-filtered Au₁₁ undergoes extracellular ROS-mediated biotransformation into 2–3 nm gold nanoparticles, followed by their assembly into large nanostructures (∼50–500 nm) within the proximal tubular lumen of healthy kidneys. Unexpectedly, high-resolution electron microscopy revealed that brush-border microvilli capture these large luminal nanoassemblies, transport them from microvillar tips to the microvillar base, and internalize them through apical pinching-off events. The internalized nanoassemblies subsequently traffic through apical vacuoles to lysosomes, where a second-stage biotransformation produces densely packed flower-like gold nanostructures that are ultimately re-eliminated into the tubular lumen through membrane extrusion. These findings demonstrate that extracellular ROS (∼10 μM) under physiological conditions could substantially transform renal-filtered nanomaterials and reveal an unrecognized function of proximal tubular microvilli in transporting and internalizing large luminal nanoassemblies. 2026-09-29T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1021/jacs.6c13282.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Microvilli-Mediated_Transport_and_Internalization_of_Extracellularly_Assembled_Nanoparticles_in_Kidney_Proximal_Tubules/34025061 CC BY-NC 4.0