Exposure-time-dependent subcellular staging of gold nanoparticles deposition and vesicle destruction in mice livers

Abstract

Several advances in nanomedicine have been accompanied by rising concerns about the bioaccumulation and toxicity of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Here, we assessed the in vivo fate of diversely sized AuNPs that were injected into mice as a computed tomography contrast agent and examined with multi-scale analyses across the organ, tissue, cell, and subcellular levels. After focusing on the strong detected accumulation in livers, our data revealed a set of three clear, exposure-time-dependent patterns based on i) AuNPs deposit morphology and ii) readily identifiable phenotypes for AuNP-impacted subcellular vesicles. Importantly, we detected no obvious differences in liver function, liver cell apoptosis, or autophagy upon exposure to AuNPs. Thus, our study illustrates an accessible experimental and high-resolution data interpretation framework for quickly obtaining and contextualizing informative trends about any AuNP-triggered patterns of subcellular damage in nanomedicine studies; these can help guide cytotoxity and safety testing of diagnostic nanomedical technologies.