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Synthesis and evaluation of the potential deleterious effects of ZnO nanomaterials (nanoneedles and nanoflowers) on blood components, including albumin, erythrocytes and human isolated primary neutrophils

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Abstract

The application of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in biomaterials has increased significantly in the recent years. Here, we aimed to study the potential deleterious effects of ZnO on blood components, including human serum albumin (HSA), erythrocytes and human isolated primary neutrophils. To test the influence of the morphology of the nanomaterials, ZnO nanoneedles (ZnO-nn) and nanoflowers (ZnO-nf) were synthesized. The zeta potential and mean size of ZnO-nf and ZnO-nn suspensions in phosphate-buffered saline were −10.73 mV and 3.81 nm and −5.27 mV and 18.26 nm, respectively. The incubation of ZnO with HSA did not cause its denaturation as verified by the absence of significant alterations in the intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence and in the circular dichroism spectrum of the protein. The capacity of HSA as a drug carrier was not affected as verified by employing site I and II fluorescent markers. Neither type of ZnO was able to provoke the activation of neutrophils, as verified by lucigenin- and luminol-dependent chemiluminescence and by the extracellular release of hydrogen peroxide. ZnO-nf, but not ZnO-nn, induced the haemolysis of erythrocytes. In conclusion, our results reinforce the concept that ZnO nanomaterials are relatively safe for usage in biomaterials. A potential exception is the capacity of ZnO-nf to promote the lysis of erythrocytes, a discovery that shows the importance of the morphology in the toxicity of nanoparticles.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Grants from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, #2013/08784-0), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq #440503/2014-0) and Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), P.O. Box 473, Bauru, São Paulo, 17033-360, Brazil

    Bruna Pastrello, Luiza de Carvalho Bertozo & Valdecir Farias Ximenes

  2. Department of Clinical Analysis, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, São Paulo, 14801-902, Brazil

    Luana Chiquetto Paracatu

  3. Nanomedicine and Nanotoxicology Group, Physics Institute of São Carlos (IFSC), University of São Paulo (USP), São Carlos, São Paulo, 13560-970, Brazil

    Iêda Maria Martinez Paino

  4. Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Bauru, São Paulo, 17033-360, Brazil

    Paulo Noronha Lisboa-Filho

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  1. Bruna Pastrello
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Correspondence to Valdecir Farias Ximenes.

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Pastrello, B., Paracatu, L.C., de Carvalho Bertozo, L. et al. Synthesis and evaluation of the potential deleterious effects of ZnO nanomaterials (nanoneedles and nanoflowers) on blood components, including albumin, erythrocytes and human isolated primary neutrophils. J Nanopart Res 18, 216 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-016-3527-6

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