Altered characteristics of silica nanoparticles in bovine and human serum: the importance of nanomaterial characterization prior to its toxicological evaluation

摘要

BackgroundMany toxicological studies on silica nanoparticles (NPs) have been reported, however, the literature often shows various conclusions concerning the same material. This is mainly due to a lack of sufficient NPs characterization as synthesized as well as in operando. Many characteristics of NPs may be affected by the chemistry of their surroundings and the presence of inorganic and biological moieties. Consequently, understanding the behavior of NPs at the time of toxicological assay may play a crucial role in the interpretation of its results.The present study examines changes in properties of differently functionalized fluorescent 50 nm silica NPs in a variety of environments and assesses their ability to absorb proteins from cell culture medium containing either bovine or human serum.