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Adsorption at cell surface and cellular uptake of silica nanoparticles with different surface chemical functionalizations: impact on cytotoxicity

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Abstract

Silica nanoparticles are particularly interesting for medical applications because of the high inertness and chemical stability of silica material. However, at the nanoscale their innocuousness must be carefully verified before clinical use. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro biological toxicity of silica nanoparticles depending on their surface chemical functionalization. To that purpose, three kinds of 50 nm fluorescent silica-based nanoparticles were synthesized: (1) sterically stabilized silica nanoparticles coated with neutral polyethylene glycol molecules, (2) positively charged silica nanoparticles coated with amine groups, and (3) negatively charged silica nanoparticles coated with carboxylic acid groups. RAW 264.7 murine macrophages were incubated for 20 h with each kind of nanoparticles. Their cellular uptake and adsorption at the cell membrane were assessed by a fluorimetric assay, and cellular responses were evaluated in terms of cytotoxicity, pro-inflammatory factor production, and oxidative stress. Results showed that the highly positively charged nanoparticle were the most adsorbed at cell surface and triggered more cytotoxicity than other nanoparticle types. To conclude, this study clearly demonstrated that silica nanoparticles surface functionalization represents a key parameter in their cellular uptake and biological toxicity.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Région Rhône-Alpes and the Conseil Général de la Loire.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LINA Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire d’étude des Nanoparticules Aérosolisées (EA 4624), Faculté de Médecine Jacques Lisfranc, 15 rue Ambroise Paré, 42023, Saint-Étienne Cedex 2, France

    A. Kurtz-Chalot, J. P. Klein, J. Pourchez, D. Boudard, M. Cottier & V. Forest

  2. École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Etienne, 158 cours Fauriel CS62362, 42023, Saint-Étienne Cedex 2, France

    A. Kurtz-Chalot, J. Pourchez & V. Forest

  3. SFR IFRESIS, UFR de Médecine, 15 rue Ambroise Paré, 42023, Saint-Étienne Cedex 2, France

    A. Kurtz-Chalot, J. P. Klein, J. Pourchez, D. Boudard, V. Bin, M. Cottier & V. Forest

  4. Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Étienne, France

    J. P. Klein, D. Boudard, V. Bin & M. Cottier

  5. CHU, Saint-Étienne, France

    J. P. Klein, D. Boudard & M. Cottier

  6. PRES Lyon, Centre de Microscopie Confocale Multiphotonique, INSA de Lyon, Bâtiment Blaise Pascal 7 avenue Jean Capelle, 69621, Villeurbanne Cedex, France

    G. B. Alcantara

  7. ILM, Institut Lumière Matière, UMR 5603 CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Bâtiment Kastler 10 rue Ada Byron, 69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France

    M. Martini

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  1. A. Kurtz-Chalot
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Correspondence to A. Kurtz-Chalot.

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Kurtz-Chalot, A., Klein, J.P., Pourchez, J. et al. Adsorption at cell surface and cellular uptake of silica nanoparticles with different surface chemical functionalizations: impact on cytotoxicity. J Nanopart Res 16, 2738 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-014-2738-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-014-2738-y

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