Toxicity of hexadecylamine modified nano-montmorillonite

Abstract

• Montmorillonite (Mnt) modified by hexadecylamine (HDA) is no toxic to mouse. • The interlayer distance of Mnt modified by HDA (OMnt) increases to 2.80 nm. • OMnt exhibits good dispersity and layer structure and high ion exchange ability. • Mnt and OMnt can enter and excrete the organs of mouse without causing jeopardy. Montmorillonite (Mnt) can be widely used in pharmacy for its good ion exchange, and organics modified Mnt (OMnt) has a wider range of applications. Therefore, it is crucial to explore whether OMnt is toxic or not. Herein, the toxicity of hexadecylamine (HDA) modified nano-Mnt was investigated by a mouse gavage, an in vivo bioluminescence imaging test and H&E staining section experiment. In the FTIR spectra of OMnt labeled suflo Cy5 NHS (Cy5), the peaks around 1660, 1469 and 1387, and 1321 cm −1 can be assigned to the bending vibration of N H, stretching vibration of C N and C O bond, respectively, this indicates that Cy5 was labeled onto OMnt. The in vivo bioluminescence images showed that Mnt and OMnt firstly accumulated in the stomach of mice for digestion, portions of them was directly excreted, and the other entered the heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney of mice through blood circulation and finally excreted out of the body of mice. H&E staining section results showed that no tumor or abnormality can be seen in the organs of mice. These imply that OMnt is no toxic to mouse and can be found more applications in medicine and biomaterials, etc.