Abstract
We have successfully synthesized SiO2@(Y0.5Gd0.45Eu0.05)2O3 nanocomposites as a potential dual-modality nanoprobe for molecular imaging in vitro. However, their immunotoxicity assessment in vivo remains unknown. In this article, the in vitro biocompatibility of our dual-modality nanoprobes was assayed in terms of cell viability and apoptosis. In vivo immunotoxicity was investigated by monitoring the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cluster of differentiation (CD) markers and cytokines in Balb/c mice. The data show that the in vitro biocompatibility was satisfactory. In addition, the immunotoxicity data revealed there are no significant changes in the expression levels of CD11b and CD71 between the nanoprobe group and the Gd in a diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) chelator (Gd-DTPA) group 24 h after injection in Balb/c mice (p > 0.05). Importantly, there are significant differences in the expression levels of CD206 and CD25 as well as the secretion of IL-4 and the generation of ROS 24 h after injection (p < 0.05). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that few nanoprobes were localized in the phagosomes of liver and lung. In conclusion, the toxic effects of our nanoprobes may mainly result from the aggregation of particles in phagosomes. This accumulation may damage the microstructure of the cells and generate oxidative stress reactions that further stimulate the immune response. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the in vivo immunotoxicity of these rare earth-based biomaterials at the molecular level before molecular imaging in vivo.
Highlights
Rare earth-based nano-materials have attracted considerable attention due to their specific physicochemical characteristics in molecular imaging and medical diagnosis [1,2,3]
The microstructures and morphologies of the dual-modality nanoprobes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM)
The in vitro T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images demonstrated that the signal intensity of the dual-modality nanoprobes enhanced with increasing Gd3+
Summary
Rare earth-based nano-materials have attracted considerable attention due to their specific physicochemical characteristics in molecular imaging and medical diagnosis [1,2,3]. They may do potential harm to human health because of their high surface-to-volume ratios, small size, different shapes, positive surface charges, etc. Besides cellular oxidative stress data, the generation of ROS in vivo has not been studied extensively especially for rare earth-based nanomaterials. ROS are important regulators and suppressors of immune response [10,11]. It is crucial to measure ROS and immunotoxicity in vivo to understand the relationship between the properties of rare earth-based nanomaterials and toxicity. There are few available studies on the immunotoxicity of nano-based biomaterials in vivo [6,12]
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