Synthesis and toxicity assessment of environment friendly high yield ceria nanoparticles for biosafety

Abstract

Different compounds at nanoscale level show more efficient behavior because of increased surface area and optical properties. CeO2 nanoparticles are of great importance for their unique properties. However, the extensive release of CeO2 nanoparticles in the environment is also a serious problem that must be addressed as available data related to ceria toxicity is currently not comprehensive. The present study was aimed to evaluate the potential of CeO2 nanoparticles in biomedical applications and assessment of their toxicity by using mutagenic and acute in-vivo approaches. High yield CeO2 nanoparticles with spherical morphology and with an average size of 40 nm were synthesized by adopting the alkaline fusion method under mild conditions. The synthesized CeO2 nanoparticles showed antibacterial activity at different concentrations (50–500 µg/mL) against E. coli. The antioxidant properties of CeO2 nanoparticles were determined, and CeO2 nanoparticles show antioxidant behavior that may be helpful for anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drug preparation. Ames test confirms no mutagenicity at different concentrations of CeO2 nanoparticles. Moreover, in the current study CeO2 nanoparticles showed no toxicity for aquatic life even at a concentration of 100 mg/L in the same way the in-vivo toxicology was not evident even at the highest concentration (≥5000 mg/kg BW for rats), no significant change was observed in hematological and biochemical parameters of control and CeO2nanoparticles exposed rats. In-vivo dermal toxicity was not observed in rabbits at the application of 0.5 g CeO2 nanoparticles. These results indicate the nontoxic nature of these nanomaterials. However, further experimentation is recommended to completely define the toxic potential of the nanomaterials.