Role of the interactions of soft hyaluronan nanomaterials with CD44 and supported bilayer membranes in the cellular uptake

[Display omitted] •Soft hyaluronic acid nanoplatelets had flat surfaces and high aspect ratio.•Cell internalization of nanoplatelets was higher than native polysaccharide.•Interaction of nanoplatelets with CD44 was higher than with native polysaccharide.•Internalization was dose-dependent and time-dependent.•Non-specific interactions of nanoplatelets with lipid membranes were negligible. Increasing valence by acting on nanomaterial morphology can enhance the ability of a ligand to specifically bind to targeted cells. Herein, we investigated cell internalization of soft hyaluronic acid (HA) nanoplatelets (NPs) that exhibit a typical hexagonal shape, flat surfaces and high aspect ratio (Γ≈12 to 20), as characterized by atomic force microscopy in hydrated conditions. Fluorescence imaging revealed that internalization of HA-NPs by a T24 tumor cell line and by macrophages was higher than native polysaccharide in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. The ability of HA-NPs to efficiently compete with native HA assessed using Bio-layer interferometry showed that NPs had a stronger interaction with recombinant CD44 receptor compared to native HA. The results were discussed regarding physical properties of the NPs and the implication of multivalent interactions in HA binding to CD44. Experiments conducted on supported bilayer membranes with different compositions showed that non-specific interactions of NPs with lipid membranes were negligible. Our findings provide insights into intracellular drug delivery using soft HA-NPs through receptor-mediated multivalent interactions.