In vitro toxicological assessment of MgO and Silica Nanoparticle in human colon carcinoma cells

The use of nanoparticles (NPs) has been extended to many fields such as agriculture, food industry, medicine and biotechnological fields. Thereby, human exposure to NPs consequently increases. Therefore, there is a concern about the potential biological effects and toxicity of NPs for humans and the environment. This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity effects of magnesium oxide (MgO) and silica (SiO2) NPs on human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) after 24 hours of exposure. In this study, cytotoxicity of MgO and SiO2 NPs was evaluated using MTT assay after 24 hours of MgO (50 nm) and SiO2 (90-110 nm) NPs exposure at doses of 25-200 µg/ml. Moreover, to assess the rate of cell apoptosis, cells were stained with ethidium bromide/acridine orange stain. The staining was examined under a fluorescent microscope. The exposure of HT29 cells to SiO2 and MgO NPs increased cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Also, these results showed a significant increase in apoptosis induction in treated groups with MgO and SiO2 NPs. These results showed that SiO2 and MgO NPs can cause cytotoxicity in HT29 cells and it is better to avoid using them in food stuff and food packaging ingredients.