Biocompatibility of gold nanoparticles in retinal pigment epithelial cell line.
Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have been tested as targeted delivery agents because of their high chemical stability and surface plasmon properties. Here, we investigated the biocompatibility of Au spheres (5-, 10-, 20-, 30-, 50-. and 100-nm), cubes (50-nm), and rods (10×90nm) on a retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cell line. The lethal dose for killing 50% of the cells (LD50) was evaluated using an MTT (3-[4, 5 dimethyl-thiazoly-2-yl] 2-5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. At and above LD50, based on mass concentrations, the confluent cell layer began to detach, as shown by real-time measurements of electric impedance. We found that the biocompatibility of spheres improved with increasing nanoparticle size. The Au rods were less biocompatible than 10-nm spheres. Confocal microscopy showed that cubic (50-nm) and spherical NPs (50- and 100-nm) neither had cytotoxic effects nor entered cells. Lethal doses for internalized spherical NPs, which were toxic, were recalculated based on surface area (LD50,A) concentrations. Indeed, when biocompatibility was expressed as the surface area concentration of NPs, the curve was independent of size. The LD50,Aof Au nanospheres was 23cm2/ml. Our findings demonstrate that the sole modulation of the surface area would make it possible to use Au NPs for therapeutic purposes.
Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory, Dept. of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Bedia Begüm
BB
Karakoçak
Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory, Dept. of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Ramesh
R
Raliya
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Josh T
JT
Davis
Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory, Dept. of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Sanmathi
S
Chavalmane
Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory, Dept. of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Wei-Ning
WN
Wang
Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory, Dept. of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St. Louis, MO, USA. Electronic address: ravi@vision.wustl.edu.
Nathan
N
Ravi
Aerosol and Air Quality Research Laboratory, Dept. of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. Electronic address: pbiswas@wustl.edu.
Pratim
P
Biswas
D001692:Biological Transport; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000166:cytology; D013499:Surface Properties
D006046:Gold
Biocompatibility; Cytotoxicity; Electrical impedance; Gold nanoparticles; Retina; Surface area