Coating Dependent In Vitro Biocompatibility of New Fe-Si Nanoparticles

Abstract

Magnetic nanoparticles offer multiple utilization possibilities in biomedicine. In this context, the interaction with cellular structures and their biological effects need to be understood and controlled for clinical safety. New magnetic nanoparticles containing metallic/carbidic iron and elemental silicon phases were synthesized by laser pyrolysis using Fe(CO)5 vapors and SiH4 gas as Fe and Si precursors, then passivated and coated with biocompatible agents, such as l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na). The resulting magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, EDS, and TEM techniques. To evaluate their biocompatibility, doses ranging from 0–200 µg/mL hybrid Fe-Si nanoparticles were exposed to Caco2 cells for 24 and 72 h. Doses below 50 μg/mL of both l-DOPA and CMC-Na-coated Fe-Si nanoparticles induced no significant changes of cellular viability or membrane integrity. The cellular internalization of nanoparticles was dependent on their dispersion in culture medium and caused some changes of F-actin filaments organization after 72 h. However, reactive oxygen species were generated after exposure to 25 and 50 μg/mL of both Fe-Si nanoparticles types, inducing the increase of intracellular glutathione level and activation of transcription factor Nrf2. At nanoparticles doses below 50 μg/mL, Caco2 cells were able to counteract the oxidative stress by activating the cellular protection mechanisms. We concluded that in vitro biological responses to coated hybrid Fe-Si nanoparticles depended on particle synthesis conditions, surface coating, doses and incubation time.

Cytotoxicity of Metal‐Based Nanoparticles: From Mechanisms and Methods of Evaluation to Pathological Manifestations

“…Following exposure to Fe‐Si NPs at 25 and 50 µg mL ‐1 for 24 and 72 h, Nrf2 protein expression in Caco2 cells increased with the ROS and GSH levels. [ 31 ] The antioxidant Nrf2 pathway may not be sufficient in ameliorating the oxidative damage induced by metal‐based NPs. In particular, long‐term exposure to high‐doses of metal NPs downregulated Nrf2 and HO‐1 gene expression in human subjects.…”

SiO2-PVA-Fe(acac)3 Hybrid Based Superparamagnetic Nanocomposites for Nanomedicine: Morpho-textural Evaluation and In Vitro Cytotoxicity Assay

“…In vitro assays are dedicated methods for evaluating the biocompatibility/cytotoxicity of different magnetic nanoparticles. As previously proven [69], the potential cytotoxic effect that is manifested by magnetic nanoparticles is dependent of the coating agent, particle size, porosity, shape, test cell line, and the stimulation time employed for the in vitro testing. The same study revealed that, besides the mentioned parameters, the effect of the used solvent needs to be taken into account, because it also influences the cytotoxicity of the test samples.…”

Dextran-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Loaded with 5-Fluorouracil for Drug-Delivery Applications

“…After treatment, the protein extract from the Caco-2 cells was obtained as previously described [ 33 ]. Equal amounts of protein (50 µg) from treated and untreated Caco-2 cells were separated through SDS–polyacrylamide gels (8% and 15% resolving gel; 4.5% concentration gel) in Tris–glycine buffer at 90 V for 2 h. The proteins were transferred from the SDS–polyacrylamide gel to a 0.45 µm pore PVDF membrane (IPVH00010, Merck Millipore, Darmstadt, Germany) using a wet transfer system.…”