Selective inhibitory effects of 50-nm gold nanoparticles on mouse macrophage and spleen cells

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NP) are significant to multiple industrial processes, consumer products, and medical applications today. The health effects of many different types of NP, however, are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of 50-nm gold NP coated with poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on mouse macrophage and spleen cells with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS), testing the hypothesis that the NP would modulate immune responses without being overtly toxic. Gold NP had no effect on macrophage viability, and in the absence of LPS, they had no effect on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production as measured by ELISA. The presence of LPS significantly increased the release of TNFα from the macrophages above no-treatment controls, but increasing gold NP concentration led to decreasing release of TNFα. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by exposed macrophages were also reduced compared to untreated controls both with and without LPS, suggesting some kind of oxygen radical scavenging. In splenocyte cultures, gold NP had no effect alone, but significantly reduced the release of interleukin (IL)-17 and TNFα triggered by LPS. These results suggest that the gold NP used here are not cytotoxic to immune cells at these concentrations, but may affect cellular responses to infection or inflammation by altering the balance of cytokines.

Immunological Properties of Gold Nanoparticles

“…The inuence of dendritic cells on the development of immune response upon injection of a GNP-conjugated antigen was discussed by Vallhov et al 217 In addition, those authors noted that when using nanoparticles in medical practice, one has to ensure that there are no lipopolysaccharides on their surface. Similar results, for the interaction of GNPs with macrophages, were reported by Kingston et al 218 The interaction of cells of the immune system with GNPs was very actively examined by Dobrovolskaia's group. 72,73,75,102,219,220 According to them, nanoimmunology is a new promising and rapidly developing eld.…”

The Effect of Stabilisation Agents on the Immunomodulatory Properties of Gold Nanoparticles Obtained by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis

“…The mechanisms of such actions are still unclear. In contrast to our findings, Kingston et al [60] reported inhibitory effects of PVP-GNPs on IL-17 and TNF-α production induced by LPS activation. However, these authors used larger GNPs (50 nm) compared to this study, which could be a reason for this discrepancy.…”

Effect of Gold Nanoparticle on 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Experimental Oral Mucositis in Hamsters

“…NF-κB induces the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) [5]. Authors have reported that AuNps reduce the levels of inflammatory markers in experimental models of periodontitis [42], 1% carrageenan-induced peritonitis [20], and ethanol-methamphetamine-induced hepatic injury [7], and positively influence the cellular response to infection or inflammation, interfering with the balance of cytokines involved in the inflammatory process [43].…”