Ding Xinyu, Liang Shanshan, Zhang Tingfeng, Zhang Minglu, Fang Hao, Tian Jiale, Liu Jinke, Peng Yuyuan, Zheng Lingna, Wang Bing, Feng Weiyue
CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Molecules. 2025 Apr 11;30(8):1727. doi: 10.3390/molecules30081727.
Gold nanomaterials have garnered significant attention in biomedicine owing to their tunable size and morphology, facile surface modification capabilities, and distinctive optical properties. The surface functionalization of these nanoparticles can enhance their safety and efficacy in nanomedical applications. In this study, we examined the biological effects of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with three distinct surface modifications (polyethylene glycol, chitosan, and polyethylenimine) in murine models, elucidating their mechanisms of action on hepatic tissue at both the transcriptomic and metabolomic levels. Our findings revealed that PEG-modified GNPs did not significantly alter any major metabolic pathway. In contrast, CS-GNPs markedly affected the metabolic pathways of retinol, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and glycerophospholipids (FDR < 0.05). Similarly, PEI-GNPs significantly influenced the metabolic pathways of retinol, arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, and sphingolipids (FDR < 0.05). Through a comprehensive analysis of the regulatory information within these pathways, we identified phosphatidylcholine compounds as potential biomarkers that may underlie the differential biological effects of the three functionalized GNPs. These findings provide valuable experimental data for evaluating the biological safety of functionalized GNPs.
金纳米材料因其可调节的尺寸和形态、易于进行表面修饰的能力以及独特的光学性质，在生物医学领域引起了广泛关注。这些纳米颗粒的表面功能化可以提高它们在纳米医学应用中的安全性和有效性。在本研究中，我们在小鼠模型中研究了具有三种不同表面修饰（聚乙二醇、壳聚糖和聚乙烯亚胺）的金纳米颗粒（GNPs）的生物学效应，从转录组学和代谢组学水平阐明它们对肝脏组织的作用机制。我们的研究结果表明，聚乙二醇修饰的GNPs没有显著改变任何主要代谢途径。相比之下，壳聚糖修饰的GNPs显著影响视黄醇、花生四烯酸、亚油酸和甘油磷脂的代谢途径（错误发现率<0.05）。同样，聚乙烯亚胺修饰的GNPs显著影响视黄醇、花生四烯酸、亚油酸和鞘脂的代谢途径（错误发现率<0.05）。通过对这些途径内调控信息的综合分析，我们确定磷脂酰胆碱化合物为潜在的生物标志物，它们可能是三种功能化GNPs产生不同生物学效应的基础。这些发现为评估功能化GNPs的生物安全性提供了有价值的实验数据。
