Development of screening assays for nanoparticle toxicity assessment in human blood: Preliminary studies with charged Au nanoparticles

Sara A. Love, John W. Thompson, Christy L. Haynes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

As nanoparticles have found increased use in both consumer and medical applications, corresponding increases in possible exposure to humans necessitate studies examining the impacts of these nanomaterials in biological systems. This article examines the effects of approximately 30-nm-diameter gold nanoparticles, with positively and negatively charged surface coatings in human blood. Here, we study the exposure effects, with up to 72 h of exposure to 5, 15, 25 and 50 μg/ml nanoparticles on hemolysis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and platelet aggregation in subsets of cells from human blood. Assessing viability with hemolysis, results show significant changes in a concentration-dependent fashion. Rates of ROS generation were investigated using the dichlorofluorscein diacetate-based assay as ROS generation is a commonly suspected mechanism of nanoparticle toxicity; herein, ROS was not a significant factor. Optical monitoring of platelet aggregation revealed that none of the examined nanoparticles induced aggregation upon short-term exposure.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1355-1364
Number of pages10
JournalNanomedicine
Volume7
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2012

Keywords

  • gold
  • hemolysis
  • nanoparticle
  • platelet aggregation
  • reactive oxygen species

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