title: Quantitatively profiling the dissolution and redistribution of silver nanoparticles in living rats using a knotted reactor-based differentiation scheme.
abstract: Whether silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) degrade and release silver ions (Ag(+)) in vivo has remained an unresolved issue. To evaluate the biodistribution and dissolution behavior of intravenously administered AgNPs in living rats, we employed a knotted reactor (KR) device to construct a differentiation scheme for quantitative assessment of residual AgNPs and their released Ag(+) ions in complicated animal tissues; to do so, we adjusted the operating parameters of the KR, namely, the presence/absence of a rinse solution and the sample acidity. After optimization, our proposed differentiation system was confirmed to be tolerant to rat tissue and organ matrix and provide superior reliability of differentiating AgNPs/Ag(+) than the conventional centrifugal filtration method. We then applied this differentiation strategy to investigate the biodistribution and dissolution of AgNPs in rats 1, 3, and 5 days postadministration, and it was found that the administered AgNPs accumulated predominantly in the liver and spleen, then dissolved and released Ag(+) ions that were gradually excreted, resulting in almost all of the Ag(+) ions becoming deposited in the kidney, lung, and brain. Histopathological data also indicated that toxic responses were specifically located in the AgNP-rich liver, not in the Ag(+)-dominated tissues and organs. Thus, the full-scale chemical fate of AgNPs in vivo should be integrated into future assessments of the environmental health effects and utilization of AgNP-containing products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing-Hua University , Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Kuan
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Hsin-Tung
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Sheng-Chieh
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hsia
authors.forename: Yuh-Chang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D061605:Administration, Intravenous; D000818:Animals; D002414:Cations, Monovalent / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D008297:Male; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012834:Silver / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D012995:Solubility; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D002414:Cations, Monovalent; D012834:Silver