Cytotoxicity of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles indicated by cellular micromotility.
In the growing field of nanotechnology, there is an urgent need to sensitively determine the toxicity of nanoparticles since many technical and medical applications are based on controlled exposure to particles, that is, as contrast agents or for drug delivery. Before the in vivo implementation, in vitro cell experiments are required to achieve a detailed knowledge of toxicity and biodegradation as a function of the nanoparticles' physical and chemical properties. In this study, we show that the micromotility of animal cells as monitored by electrical cell-substrate impedance analysis (ECIS) is highly suitable to quantify in vitro cytotoxicity of semiconductor quantum dots and gold nanorods. The method is validated by conventional cytotoxicity testing and accompanied by fluorescence and dark-field microscopy to visualize changes in the cytoskeleton integrity and to determine the location of the particles within the cell.
Tarantola
Marco
M
Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 11, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Schneider
David
D
Sunnick
Eva
E
Adam
Holger
H
Pierrat
Sebastien
S
Rosman
Christina
C
Breus
Vladimir
V
Sönnichsen
Carsten
C
Basché
Thomas
T
Wegener
Joachim
J
Janshoff
Andreas
A
D000818:Animals; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000494:pharmacology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D045663:Quantum Dots; D012666:Semiconductors
D003287:Contrast Media; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008670:Metals; D006046:Gold