International Journal of Nanomedicine (Feb 2021)
Short-Term Oral Administration of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Potentially Induced Colon Inflammation in Rats Through Alteration of Gut Microbiota
Abstract
Yue Yu,1,* Zhou Wang,1,* Ran Wang,1 Jing Jin,2 Yi Zhun Zhu1,3 1State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine & School of Pharmacy, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau SAR, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Material Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules & School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yi Zhun ZhuMacau University of Science and Technology, Block E, Avenida Wai Long, Taipa, Macau SAR, 999078, People’s Republic of ChinaTel + 86 853 8897 2880Fax +86 853 2882 3575Email [email protected]: Mesoporous silica (MSNs) have attracted considerable attention for its application in the field of drug delivery and biomedicine due to its high surface area, large pore volume, and low toxicity. Recently, numerous studies revealed that gut microbiota is of critical relevance to host health. However, the toxicological studies of MSNs were mainly based on the degradation, biodistribution, and excretion in mammalian after oral administration for now. Here in this study, we explored the impacts of oral administration of three kinds of MSNs on gut microbiota in rats to assess its potential toxicity.Methods: Forty rats were divided into four groups: control group; Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 type mesoporous silica (MCM-41) group; Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 type mesoporous silica (SBA-15) group, and biodegradable dendritic center-radial mesoporous silica nanoparticle (DMSN) group. Fecal samples were collected 3 days and 7 days after the intake of MSNs and analyzed with high throughput sequencing. Gastric tissues in rats were obtained after dissection for the histological study.Results: Three different MSNs (MCM-41, SBA-15, and DMSN) were successfully prepared in this study. The pore size of three MSNs was calculated similarly as (3.54 ± 0.15) nm, (3.48 ± 0.21) nm, and (3.45 ± 0.17) nm according to the BET & BJH model, respectively, while the particle size of MCM-41, SBA-15 and DMSN was around 209.2 nm, 1349.56 nm, and 244.4 nm, respectively. In the gene analysis of 16S rRNA, no significant changes in the diversity and richness were found between groups, while Verrucomicrobia decreased and Candidatus Saccharibacteria increased in MCM-41 treated groups. Meanwhile, no inflammatory and erosion symptoms were observed in the morphological analysis of the colons, except the MCM-41 treated group.Conclusion: Three different MSNs, MCM-41, SBA-15, and DMSN were successfully prepared, and this study firstly suggested the impact of MSNs on the gut microbiota, and further revealing the potential pro-inflammatory effects of oral administration of MCM-41 was possibly through the changing of gut microbiota.Keywords: gut microbiota, mesoporous silica, MCM-41, SBA-15, dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticle
