Citotoxicity evaluation of amorphous silica nanoparticles and their spatial localization into cells through confocal imagung techniques

• Grant number: 14/15255-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2014
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Mateus Borba Cardoso
• Grantee: Gabriela Egerland Bueno
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The project described here will study the cytotoxicity of functionalized amorphous silica nanoparticles in mammalian cells, correlate it with the intracellular localization of those nanoparticles.This will be achieved by fluorescent silica nanoparticles with a diameter of about 100 nm and different functional groups within their surface. These nanoparticles will be characterized by Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential, fluorescence spectroscopy, Small Angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and adsorption/desorption of nitrogen .In vitro tests will be conducted with embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293 cells). During this experiment, those cells will be treated with the fluorescent nanoparticles functionalized with different functional groups on their surface. These tests will evaluate the cytotoxicity of nanoparticles and cell viability for those different surface groups.Concomitantly, nanoparticle treated cells will be taken for the confocal optical microscopy. On those cells different markers will be use for different organelles, which, in conjunction with the nanoparticle's fluorescence, will allow the optical imaging for the intracellular distribution of the nanoparticles. By these means, it will be possible to correlate the intra cellular dynamics of the silica nanoparticle with each functional group on the nanoparticle's surface.