Abstract
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles are known to induce the hemolysis of
human red blood cells (RBCs) when citotoxicity assays are performed in a
phosphate buffer solution (PBS). However, in a more realistic approach,
the presence of blood plasma biomolecules must be considered in any
nanotoxicological evaluation of porous SiO2 nanoparticles when
biomedical applications through intravenous administration are aimed. In
this context, it is demonstrated in this work that porous silica
nanoparticles do not induce any cytotoxic effect on RBCs when hemolysis
assay is done in the presence of blood plasma, regardless the surface
charge (positive or negative) of the nanoparticle. The absence of
hemolysis is mainly associated with the adsorption of plasma proteins on
the nanoparticle surface, which leads to the formation of a stable
protein coating (called protein corona or PC) that shields the original
microchemical environment of bare nanoparticles.
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