Study On The Effect Of Gold Nanoparticles In The Immunological Response Induced By Lipopolysaccharide

With the huge potential application prospects in the biological medicine, especially in the drug carrier, it is essential that the safety of engineered gold nanomaterials and the factors that influence their associated hazards are concerned. However, most researches have focused on the toxicity of nanomaterilas to the living cell in normal state, while negative impacts of nanomaterials on the cell with other stimulations which can always happen have been rarely concerned. In this work, we prove that although polyethyleneglycol coated gold nanoparticles (PEG@-AuNPs) with high biocompatibility have no toxicity and influence on the growth of RAW264.7 cell, they can enhance the response of RAW264.7 to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and produce more nitric oxide, a radical molecule with potential hazards. Also, PEG@-AuNPs can promote the transcription and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) induced by LPS, which is partially dependent on the phosphorylation of p38 and independent on the phosphorylation of ERK. In the meantime, when stimulated by LPS, RAW 264.7 cell can uptake PEG@-AuNPs more quickly by endocytosis and reach to saturation within 24h. In conclusion, nanomaterials of high biocompatibility can influence the response of the cell to the stimulation and hence have some potential risks. The results in this study can help assess the safety of nanomaterials more comprehensively, and provide a more solid foundation for the application of nanomaterials.