Engineered silica nanoparticles are biologically safe vehicles to deliver drugs or genes to liver cells

Tuncel O., Kahraman E., Bagci G., Atabey N., Ozcelik S.

MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING C-MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, vol.119, 2021 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 119
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.msec.2020.111585
  • Journal Name: MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING C-MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aerospace Database, Biotechnology Research Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, EMBASE, INSPEC, MEDLINE, Metadex, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Keywords: Liver, Liver cancer, Silica nanoparticles, Cytotoxicity, Genotoxicity, Hemolysis, Colony formation, Cell-cycle, Mitochondrial membrane potentials
  • Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Engineered silica nanoparticles (SiNP) are emerging materials for medical applications. Evaluating biological responses of specific cells treated with engineered silica nanoparticles is however essential. We synthesized and characterized the physicochemical properties of silica nanoparticles with two different sizes of 10 and 100 nm (10SiNP and 100SiNP) dispersed in cell culture medium. HuH-7, an epithelial-like human hepatoblastoma cell line and SK-HEP-1, a liver sinusoidal endothelial cell line (LSEC) are employed to evaluate their biological responses for the SiNP treatment. Primary human lymphocytes are used to assess genotoxicity recommended by OECD guidelines while erythrocytes are used to assess hemolytic activity. The engineered silica nanoparticles are not able to produce radical species, to alter the mitochondrial membrane potential, and induce any adverse effects on cell proliferation. The colony formation ability of HuH-7 hepatoblastoma cells was not affected following the SiNP treatment. Furthermore, SiNPs do not induce hemolysis of red blood cells and are not genotoxic. These findings suggest that SiNPs regardless of the size, amount, and incubation time are biologically safe vehicles to deliver drugs or genes to the liver.