Investigation of hematotoxic effect of nano ZnO, nano Fe3O4 and nano SiO2 in vitro

Objective(s): Evaluation of nanomaterials interaction with blood ingredients is a part of preclinical risk assessment of newly-synthesized materials, especially for nano-sized pharmaceuticals which are intravenously administrated. The red blood cells (RBCs) are susceptible to oxidative stress damage. This study was designed to evaluate induced oxidative hematotoxic effect of nano ZnO, Fe3O4, and nano SiO2 on human red blood cells in vitro. Methods: Blood samples were collected from healthy male volunteers. RBCs were exposed to different concentrations (50, 100, 250mg/ml) of nano ZnO, nano Fe3O4, and nano SiO2 at 4°C for 24hours. Lipid peroxidation and intracellular Glutathione (GSH) level were studied as the biomarkers of oxidative stress. Results: The results showed that the lipid peroxidation had significantly increased. However, after exposure to nanoparticles, the GSH level of RBCs considerably decreased compared to the controls (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that nanoparticles could induce oxidative stress that eventually leads to cell toxicity and hemolysis of RBCs at certain doses. This study provides important experimental information for safety assessment and pharmacokinetics of high-doses intravenous administration of nanoparticles for design of clinical trials.