A toxicological evaluation of 8-28 nm gold nanocrystals

Autor: Vickie Modica, Róbert Glávits, Timothy S. Murbach, John R. Endres, Gábor Hirka, Adél Vértesi, Erzsébet Béres, Ilona Pasics Szakonyiné
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association. 161
ISSN: 1873-6351
Popis: Gold nanocrystals (AuNC) are gold nanoparticles (AuNP) relatively homogenous in size at 8-28 nm with clean surfaces and crystalline structures. There are concerns and a lack of consensus in the scientific literature and major regulatory bodies regarding not only the safety of nanoparticles when consumed by humans, but exactly how to determine their safety and whether evidence from a nanoparticle with one set of physiochemical properties extends to one with a different set. Additionally, there are few general long-term toxicity data on AuNP. To our knowledge, the potential toxicity of AuNC specifically, with the above characteristics, or otherwise, has not been investigated in preclinical studies; thus, we conducted a battery of genetic toxicity tests and an oral repeated-dose toxicity test to further explore their safety. AuNC were not mutagenic or clastogenic in bacterial reverse mutation and in vitro mammalian chromosomal aberration tests, respectively, and did not exhibit in vivo genotoxicity in a micronucleus test in mice. In a 60-day, repeated-dose oral toxicity study, rats were administered 0, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg bw/day of AuNC by gavage. No toxicity was identified. Therefore, a no observed adverse effect level was determined as 10 mg/kg body weight/day.
Databáze: OpenAIRE