Cytotoxic Effect of Chitosan-Gold Nanoparticles on Two Cell Lines in Culture
Abstract
Among metallic nanoparticles gold possess several unique properties. It has been argued that AuNPs have significant toxicity both in vitro and in vivo but that coating may partially prevent harmful effects. Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide derivative of chitin known to have immunoenhancing effects, antitumor, antifungal and antimicrobial activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effect of chitosan-AuNPs on C26 (murine colon carcinoma) and HeLa (human cervix carcinoma) cell lines. C26 and HeLa cells were exposed to 10 and 60 nm sized chitosan-AuNPs at five different concentrations (5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 μg/ml). After 24 h of incubation, cytotoxicity was assessed by the MTT colorimetric method and IC50 values were calculated. In C26 cells 60 nm particles were more toxic than 10 nm particles. On the other hand in HeLa cells the situation was reversed and 10 nm particles had the most harmful effect at a concentration 2.5 times smaller than that of 60 nm particles. Our results could suggest that chitosan-AuNPs have an antiproliferative effect on C26 and HeLa cell lines but that this depends on cell type and is influenced by particle size and concentration.
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