Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Höltystrasse 10, Neustadt-Mariensee, Germany.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2012;733:125-33. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-2555-3_12.
Along with the number of potential applications for gold nanoparticles (AuNP) especially for medical and scientific purposes, the interest in possible toxic effects of such particles is rising. The general perception views nanosized gold colloids as relatively inert towards biological systems. However, a closer analysis of pertinent studies reveals a more complex picture. While the chemical compound of which the nanoparticles consists plays an important role, further biocompatibility determining aspects have been made out. The vast majority of trials concerning AuNP-toxicity were performed using somatic cell culture lines. The results show a considerable dependency of toxic effects on size, zeta potential and surface functionalisation. In vivo studies on this subject are still rare. Based on the existing data it can be assumed, that a dosage of under <400 µg Au/kg showed no untoward effects. If higher amounts were applied toxicity depended on route of administration and particle size. Since nanoparticles have been shown to cross reproduction-relevant biological barriers such as the blood-testicle and the placental barrier the question of their reprotoxicity arises. Yet data concerning this subject is far from adequate. Regarding gametes, recent experiments showed a dose-dependent sensitivity of spermatozoa towards AuNP. Oocytes have not yet been tested in that respect. Interestingly, so far no effects were detected on embryos after gold nanoparticle exposure. In conclusion, the biocompatibility of gold nanoparticles depends on a range of particle specific aspects as well as the choice of target tissue. Further clarification of such matters are subject to ongoing research.
随着金纳米粒子（AuNP）在医学和科学领域的潜在应用数量的增加，人们对这些粒子可能产生的毒性作用的兴趣也在增加。一般观点认为，纳米级金胶体对生物系统相对惰性。然而，对相关研究的更仔细分析揭示了一个更为复杂的情况。虽然纳米粒子的化学组成起着重要作用，但进一步确定了生物相容性的决定因素。绝大多数关于 AuNP 毒性的试验都是使用体细胞培养系进行的。结果表明，毒性的大小、zeta 电位和表面功能化对毒性有很大的依赖性。在这一主题的体内研究仍然很少。根据现有数据，可以假设剂量低于 400µg Au/kg 没有不良影响。如果应用更高的剂量，毒性取决于给药途径和颗粒大小。由于纳米粒子已被证明可以穿过与生殖有关的生物屏障，如血睾屏障和胎盘屏障，因此它们的生殖毒性问题就出现了。然而，关于这个主题的数据远远不够。关于配子，最近的实验表明，精子对 AuNP 的敏感性与剂量有关。尚未在这方面测试卵母细胞。有趣的是，迄今为止，在暴露于金纳米粒子后，胚胎没有检测到任何影响。总之，金纳米粒子的生物相容性取决于一系列特定于颗粒的方面以及靶组织的选择。这些问题的进一步澄清是正在进行的研究的主题。
