Large Gold Nanorods Affect Glutathione but not K+ Metabolism in Human Red Blood Cells

Abstract

With the advent of nanotechnology, the potential applications of nano‐scale gold in medicine have expanded substantially. Gold therapeutic and toxic properties have been widely studied, however little is known regarding gold's contribution to oxidative stress in red blood cells (RBCs). This is especially true for recently‐demonstrated large gold nanorods (LGNRs) (Langmuir 2015, 31, 12339–12347), which possess unmatched theranostic capabilities. Here, we report on the effect of LGNRs at the level of cellular function, and particularly on glutathione (GSH) concentration and ion transport in human (H) RBCs. Gold has been hypothesized to effectively react with RBCs sulfhydryl groups, thereby causing depletion of the antioxidant reserve represented by GSH and its pathway, through which GNRs induced cellular toxicity. In instances of acute exposure to gold, GSH is depleted and GSH synthesis is enhanced. This study examined the effect of LGNRs on the GSH concentration and K+ metabolism in cord and adult HRBCs. Our findings indicate that LGNRs induced changes in RBC GSH concentration in dose (3.3–40.0 μg/ml)‐ and time (15–60 min)‐dependent manners without affecting RBC K+ metabolism. Furthermore, there was inter‐individual variability in the GSH concentrations of both cord and adult RBCs, whereas there was no statistically significant difference between cord and adult RBCs. This study also revealed that LGNRs behaved either like oxidants, antioxidants or had no effect on GSH concentration in both cord and adult RBCs, which may be partly attributed to the initial state of oxidation of the blood. Moreover, the effect of LGNRs in dose‐response studies had a biphasic effect on GSH concentration, i.e. both behaving as oxidants and antioxidants as a function of their concentration in RBCs of the same donor, and between subjects at a given concentration. In conclusion, the unique properties of LGNRs could be further enhanced in a precision medicine setting.Support or Funding InformationSupported in part by the National Science Foundation and by the Wright State University Foundation.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.