Control ofIn VivoTransport and Toxicity of Nanoparticles by Tea Melanin

Yu-Shiun Chen,Irina V. Sorokina,Meng-Yeng Hong,Yao-Ching Hung,Jin Chern Chiou,Tatiana Tolstikova,G. Steve Huang,Andrei Aleksandrovich Onischuk

doi:10.1155/2012/746960

Yu-Shiun Chen, Irina V. Sorokina + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/746960

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Abstract

Nanoparticles are unfamiliar to researchers in toxicology. Toxicity may be generated simply due to the reduction in size. Compounds that prevent or cure toxic materials may not work on nanoparticles. Furthermore, as there are more and more applications of nanoparticles in drug delivery andin vivoimaging, controlling the transport and toxicity will be primary concerns for medical application of nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) if injected intraperitoneally into mice can enter hippocampus and induce cognitive impairment. GNPs caused a global imbalance of monoamine levels, specifically affecting the dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons. Pretreatment of tea melanin significantly prevented the deposition of GNPs in mouse brains, especially in the hippocampus. Pretreatment of melanin completely alleviated GNP-induced impairment of cognition. Pre-administration of melanin stably maintained monoamines at normal profiles. Melanin completely prevented the invasion of GNPs into the Cornu Ammonis region of the hippocampus shown by coherent anti-Stoke Raman scattering microscopy. Here we show that the administration of tea melanin prevented the accumulation of Au in brain, the imbalance of monoamines, and the impairment of cognition in mice. The current study provides a therapeutic approach to toxicity of nanoparticles and a novel strategy to control the transport of GNP in mouse brain.

Highlights

Nanoparticles provide a novel platform for target-specific delivery of therapeutic agents [1,2,3]
Melanin completely prevented the invasion of Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) into the Cornu Ammonis region of the hippocampus shown by coherent anti-Stoke Raman scattering microscopy
The current study provides a therapeutic approach to toxicity of nanoparticles and a novel strategy to control the transport of GNP in mouse brain

Summary

Introduction

Nanoparticles provide a novel platform for target-specific delivery of therapeutic agents [1,2,3]. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have recently been developed as an attractive candidate for use as carriers in drug and gene delivery, because the gold core is essentially inert and nontoxic in vitro [4,5,6,7]. GNPs have been developed as drug carriers in pharmaceutical studies. This is largely due to the apparent benefits in targeting and medical image enhancement. GNPs are capable of passing both the blood-brain barrier and the blood-retinal barrier [8]. In order to enhance the use of GNPs as drug carriers, the in vivo toxicity of nanoparticles must be minimized. To make better use of GNPs as a drug carrier to target the brain, the neurotoxicity must be eliminated. The chelating and paramagnetic properties render melanin a promising candidate to scavenge GNPs in vivo

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusion