Gold
nanoparticles (GNPs) are one of the most widely studied and
utilized materials in nanomedicine, but there is no business or national
quality standard for their medicinal applications. This has become
the bottleneck in the translation of clinical applications of gold-based
nanomaterials. To solve this issue, the most frequently used citrate-reduced
GNPs were selected as demonstration in this study to conduct quality
standard research. The different molar ratios of chloroauric acid
to trisodium citrate in preparation were changed, from 1:1 to 1:5,
to adjust the particle size and main ingredients in gold colloids.
The compositions of reduced Au0 and residual Au3+ were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively
coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and
photodynamic catalysis, while the residual citrate and its oxidation
products in supernatants were detected by nuclear magnetic resonance
(1H NMR) spectroscopy and nonaqueous titration. Cell viability
of human normal liver (L02) and hepatoblastoma (HepG2) cells was detected
to evaluate the cytotoxicity of main ingredients (Au0)
and impurities (Au3+ and citrate salt) in gold colloids.
The results showed that the main impurities in gold colloids did not
show significant effect on the cell viability, and the cytotoxicity
was mainly caused by GNPs. Furthermore, in the experiments of the
cell apoptosis, cycle, autophagy, and hemolysis assays, GNPs were
not completely inert when the gold concentration exceeded 1.5 mg/L.
The smallest GNPs showed the greatest degree of apoptosis, autophagy,
and G2/M phases retention against L02 and HepG2 cells when compared
with the other two larger gold colloids. Based on the above results,
a preliminary quality criterion was drafted to ensure the safety of
GNPs for their medicinal application.