Evaluation of genotoxicity of amine-terminated water-dispersible FePt nanoparticles in the Ames test and in vitro chromosomal aberration test.

Genotoxicity of superparamagnetic iron-platinum (FePt) nanoparticles (NPs) capped with 2-aminoethanethiol (AET) was evaluated using the bacterial reverse mutation assay (Ames test) and in vitro chromosomal aberration test. Mutagenicity of AET-capped FePt NPs was found to be negative in the Ames test, while clastogenicity of FePt NPs seemed to be false-positive in the in vitro chromosomal aberration test using Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cells. However, further detailed in vitro genotoxicity tests, such as DNA adduct studies, are necessary to conclude that a positive aberration result is irrelevant.