Tang Jinglong, Xiong Ling, Wang Shuo, Wang Jianyu, Liu Li, Li Jiage, Yuan Fuqiang, Xi Tingfei
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China.
J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2009 Aug;9(8):4924-32. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2009.1269.
Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) are widely used in the field of biomedicine, but a comprehensive understanding of how SNPs distribute in the body and the induced toxicity remains largely unknown. The present study was designed to investigate the distribution and accumulation of SNPs in rats with subcutaneous injection. Rats were injected with either SNPs or silver microparticles (SMPs) at 62.8 mg/kg, and then sacrificed at predetermined time points. The main organs of the experimental animals were harvested for ultrastructural analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and for silver content analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results indicated that SNPs translocated to the blood circulation and distributed throughout the main organs, especially in the kidney, liver, spleen, brain and lung in the form of particles. SMPs, however, could not invade the blood stream, or organ tissues. Ultrastructural observations indicate that those SNPs that had accumulated in organs could enter different kinds of cells, such as renal tubular epithelial cells and hepatic cells. Moreover, SNPs also induced blood-brain barrier (BBB) destruction and astrocyte swelling, and caused neuronal degeneration. The results suggest more cautions needed in biomedical applications of SNPs, in particular, the long-term uses.
银纳米颗粒（SNPs）在生物医药领域被广泛应用，但对于其在体内的分布情况以及所引发的毒性，人们仍知之甚少。本研究旨在探究皮下注射SNPs后在大鼠体内的分布与蓄积情况。以62.8 mg/kg的剂量给大鼠注射SNPs或银微粒（SMPs），然后在预定时间点处死大鼠。采集实验动物的主要器官，通过透射电子显微镜（TEM）进行超微结构分析，并通过电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICP-MS）进行银含量分析。结果表明，SNPs转移至血液循环并分布于各个主要器官，尤其是以颗粒形式存在于肾脏、肝脏、脾脏、大脑和肺中。然而，SMPs无法侵入血流或器官组织。超微结构观察表明，蓄积在器官中的那些SNPs能够进入不同类型的细胞，如肾小管上皮细胞和肝细胞。此外，SNPs还会导致血脑屏障（BBB）破坏和星形胶质细胞肿胀，并引起神经元变性。结果表明，在SNPs的生物医药应用中，尤其是长期使用时，需要更加谨慎。
