King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Environ Toxicol. 2020 May;35(5):599-608. doi: 10.1002/tox.22895. Epub 2020 Jan 6.
Extensive application of amorphous silica nanoparticles (Si NPs) and ubiquitous cadmium (Cd) may increase their chances of coexposure to humans. Studies on combined effects of Si NPs and Cd in human cells are very limited. We investigated the potential mechanism of toxicity caused by coexposure of amorphous Si NPs and Cd in human liver (HepG2) cells. Results showed that Si NPs were not toxic to HepG2. However, Cd induced significant toxicity in HepG2 cells. Interestingly, we observed that a noncytotoxic concentration of Si NPs potentiated the cytotoxicity of Cd in HepG2 cells. We further noticed that coexposure of Si NPs and Cd augmented oxidative stress evidenced by the generation of oxidants (reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide, and lipid peroxidation) and depletion of antioxidants (glutathione level and antioxidant enzyme activity). Coexposure of Si NPs and Cd also augmented mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in HepG2 cells indicated by altered regulation of apoptotic genes (p53, bax, bcl-2, caspase-3, and caspase-9) along with reduced mitochondrial membrane potential. Interaction data indicated that Si NPs facilitate the cellular uptake of Cd due to its strong adsorption on the surface of Si NPs. Hence, Si NPs increased the bioaccumulation and toxicity of Cd in HepG2 cells. This study warrants further research to explore the potential mechanisms of combined toxicity of Si NPs and Cd in animal models.
无定形二氧化硅纳米颗粒 (Si NPs) 和无处不在的镉 (Cd) 的广泛应用可能会增加它们与人共同暴露的机会。关于 Si NPs 和 Cd 在人细胞中联合作用的研究非常有限。我们研究了 Si NPs 和 Cd 在人肝 (HepG2) 细胞中共暴露引起毒性的潜在机制。结果表明,Si NPs 对 HepG2 没有毒性。然而,Cd 诱导 HepG2 细胞产生显著毒性。有趣的是,我们观察到非细胞毒性浓度的 Si NPs 增强了 Cd 在 HepG2 细胞中的细胞毒性。我们进一步注意到,Si NPs 和 Cd 的共暴露增加了氧化应激,表现为氧化剂(活性氧、过氧化氢和脂质过氧化)的产生和抗氧化剂(谷胱甘肽水平和抗氧化酶活性)的耗竭。Si NPs 和 Cd 的共暴露还改变了凋亡基因(p53、bax、bcl-2、caspase-3 和 caspase-9)的调节,同时伴随着线粒体膜电位降低,表明 HepG2 细胞中线粒体介导的凋亡增加。相互作用数据表明,由于 Si NPs 强烈吸附在 Si NPs 表面,因此 Si NPs 促进了 Cd 的细胞摄取。因此,Si NPs 增加了 Cd 在 HepG2 细胞中的生物积累和毒性。这项研究需要进一步研究,以探索 Si NPs 和 Cd 在动物模型中的联合毒性的潜在机制。
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