Comparative Determination of Cytotoxicity of Sub-10 nm Copper Nanoparticles to Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Systems

Abstract

Copper nanoparticles demonstrate antibacterial activity but their toxicity to eukaryotic systems is less understood. Here, we carried out a comparative study to determine the biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of sub-10 nm copper nanoparticles to a variety of biological systems, including prokaryotic cells (Escherichia coli), yeast, mammalian cell lines (HEK293T, PC12), and zebrafish embryos. We determined the bearing threshold for the cell-death-inducing concentration of copper nanoparticles by probing cell growth, viability, as well as embryological features. To exclude the partial toxicity effect from the remnant reactants, we developed a purification approach using agarose gel electrophoresis. Purified CuONP solution inhibits bacterial growth and causes eukaryotic cell death at 170 and 122.5 ppm (w/w) during the 18 h of treatment, respectively. CuONP significantly reduces the pigmentation of retina pigmented epithelium of zebrafish embryos at 85 ppm. The cytotoxicity to eukaryotic cells could arise from the oxidative stress induced by CuONP. This result suggests that small copper nanoparticles exert cytotoxicity in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, and therefore, caution should be used to avoid direct contact of copper nanoparticles to human tissues considering the potential use of copper nanoparticles in the clinical setting.

In Situ Synthesized Selenium Nanoparticles‐Decorated Bacterial Cellulose/Gelatin Hydrogel with Enhanced Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Anti‐Inflammatory Capabilities for Facilitating Skin Wound Healing

“…However, the toxicity of these NPs to healthy mammalian cells due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) cannot be ignored while providing antibacterial effects. [21][22][23] Besides, the resistance of bacteria to some of the NPs, such as AgNPs, was also identified in a previous study. [24] Such limitations restrict their use and development in wound dressings.…”

Copper-Containing Nanoparticles and Organic Complexes: Metal Reduction Triggers Rapid Cell Death via Oxidative Burst

“…Biocompatible agents containing copper in an inorganic form or in the context of metal–organic complexes are widely used in a variety of applications, largely as antibacterial and antifungal drugs, as well as in tumor treatment [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Copper oxide-based materials varying from sub-10 nm to 40–60 nm (nanoparticles; NPs) and fine (<10 µM) particles have demonstrated cytotoxicity against prokaryotic, yeast, mammalian cell lines and zebrafish embryos [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Coordination of Cu 2+ or Cu 1+ with complex organic scaffolds has yielded a number of perspective multi-targeting chemotypes with differential antitumor properties [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

Engineering colloidally stable, highly fluorescent and nontoxic Cu nanoclusters via reaction parameter optimization

“…We believe this period would be sufficient to obtain better surface passivation with BSA with an appropriate size regime, while a longer time might lead to the formation of larger-sized Cu NCs with no PL emission. As pH is a vital parameter for synthesizing any nanomaterials to be used in bioapplications, 36,37 we synthesized our Cu NCs at 55 C for 75 min under various pH conditions ranging from pH 2-12 (Fig. S6 †).…”