Biodistribution of gold nanoparticles synthesized by γ -irradiation after intravenous administration in mice

Abstract

In the present research work we evaluate the in vivo distribution of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) at different time durations after intravenous administration in mice. AuNPs with size of about 20 nm and concentration of 1 mM were synthesized by gamma irradiation method using 0.5% alginate as a stabilizer. AuNPs were characterized by UV-Vis spectrum and transmission electron microscope (TEM) image. The as-synthesized AuNPs solution was centrifuged to concentrate to 2 mg AuNPs/1 ml solution. Intravenous administration of AuNPs in mice was done at the tail with 1 mg AuNPs (0.5 ml). After 1, 3, 6 and 12 h of injection, blood was collected, mice were sacrificed and various tissues/organs were removed. The blood haematology and serum clinical chemistry indexes of mice intravenously injected with AuNPs were not significantly different compared to those of the control ones. In addition, gold content in the samples was quantitatively determined by k 0 -neutron activation analysis (k 0 -NAA) at nuclear research reactor, Da Lat Vietnam. Results showed that after 1 h of administration, AuNPs were mainly accumulated in blood (41.56%), in liver (51.60.%), in lung (6.16%) and in kidney (0.53%). After that the content of AuNPs in blood was decreased to nearly normal at 6 h while the content of AuNPs in liver, lung and kidney was accumulatively increased. After 6 h of administration AuNPs were mainly accumulated in organs like liver (76.33%), lung (11.86%) and kidney (2.23%). Thus, the obtained results are practically useful for using AuNPs as x-ray contrast agent, especially for blood and liver.

Synthesis of Carboxymethyl Chitosan-Capped Gold Nanoparticles by Gamma Irradiation with Novel Potential Applications as Antioxidant, Hepatoprotective, and Anticancer Substance

“…Our characterization results for AuNPs stabilized in CM-chitosan are in good agreement with those of AuNPs synthesized by irradiation using other stabilizers, such as dextran, hyaluronate, alginate, and chitosan [12,13,[15][16][17][18].…”

“…Luan et al [12] reported that AuNPs stabilized in alginate with an average particle size of about 20 nm synthesized by gamma Co-60 irradiation were not toxic to mice at an injected dose of approximately 33.3 mg/kg body weight and the AuNP/alginate product could potentially be applied as an X-ray contrast agent, especially for the blood and liver. In this study, AuNP/CM-chitosan prepared by irradiation was injected into mice via the tail vein and the distribution in various organs was investigated to understand the in vivo distribution of this AuNP product.…”

“…The size of AuNPs is easily controlled by varying the Au 3+ ion or stabilizer concentration. Furthermore, the gamma ray irradiation method can be favourably applied on a large scale and the production process meets the requirements for clean production [12][13][14].…”

“…To date, AuNPs have been synthesized by radiation techniques using various polysaccharides for stabilization, such as dextran [15], hyaluronate [16], chitosan [13,17], and alginate [12,18]. Carboxymethyl chitosan (CM-chitosan), a derivative of chitosan, is a water-soluble and biocompatible polymer.…”

Tailored Gold Nanoparticles for Cancer Imaging and Therapy

“…It was observed that after 1 hour of administration, the nanoparticles were mainly accumulated in blood (41.56%), liver (51.60%), lungs (6.16%) and kidneys (0.53%). After 6 hours of administration, the nanoparticles were mainly accumulated in liver (76.33%), lungs (11.86%) and kidneys (2.23%) [86]. Table 2, presents the biodistribution of AuNPs at 24 hours after IV administration in rats and can be observed that in the case of ultrasmall AuNPs, a very high concentration was present in liver, compared to AuNPs with higher dimensions.…”