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Characterization of gold nanorods in vivo by integrated analytical techniques: their uptake, retention, and chemical forms

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Abstract

Integrated analytical techniques were used to study the tissue distribution and structural information of gold nanorods (Au NRs) in Sprague-Dawley rats through tail intravenous injection. Before in vivo experiments were conducted, careful characterization of Au NRs was performed. The zeta potential proved that adsorption of bovine serum albumin on Au NRs turned the surface charges from positive to negative as in an in vitro simulation. The biodistribution of Au NRs was investigated quantitatively by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry at different time points after injection. As target tissues, both liver and spleen were chosen to further demonstrate the intracellular localization of Au NRs by the combination of transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Moreover, synchrotron-radiation-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy was employed and it was observed that long-term retention of Au NRs in liver and spleen did not induce obvious changes in the oxidation states of gold. Therefore, the present systematic method can provide important information about the fates of Au NRs in vivo and can also be extended to study the biological effects of other metallic nanomaterials in the future.

Systematic method to study biodistribution and characterization of metallic nanomaterials in vivo

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported financially by the National Basic Research Program of China (2006CB705603 and 2010CB934004) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Knowledge Innovation Program (KJCX2-YW-M02). We are very grateful to Masaharu Nomura and Yoshinori Kitajima for their kind help with XAS experiments at Photon Factory, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, Beijing, 100190, China

    Liming Wang, Liangjun Zhou, Ying Liu, Li Meng, Lili Zhang & Chunying Chen

  2. CAS Key Laboratory for Nuclear Analytical Techniques, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yu-Feng Li, Bai Li & Chunying Chen

  3. Laboratory for Nanoscale Measurement and Standardization, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, Beijing, 100190, China

    Ke Zhang & Xiaochun Wu

Authors
  1. Liming Wang
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  2. Yu-Feng Li
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  3. Liangjun Zhou
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  4. Ying Liu
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  5. Li Meng
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  6. Ke Zhang
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  7. Xiaochun Wu
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  8. Lili Zhang
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  9. Bai Li
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  10. Chunying Chen
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xiaochun Wu or Chunying Chen.

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Wang, L., Li, YF., Zhou, L. et al. Characterization of gold nanorods in vivo by integrated analytical techniques: their uptake, retention, and chemical forms. Anal Bioanal Chem 396, 1105–1114 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-3302-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-3302-y

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