IN-VITRO ASSESSMENT OF CERIUM OXIDE NANOPARTICLES AS PROMISING DRUG-DELIVERY VEHICLES: INFLUENCE OF SURFACE FUNCTIONALIZATION

Aparna Datta*, Deblina Majumder, Preetam Guha Ray, Sayantan Dasgupta, Siddharta Mukherjee and Somenath Roy

ABSTRACT

In search of alternative materials for potential use as a drug-delivery vehicle, or as a theranostic agent, we have investigated in-vitro biocompatibility of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles, having inherent reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulating properties. Two primary concerns for injectable drug carriers, namely, hemo-compatibility and non-specific protein adsorption, have been addressed using pristine ceria, as well as CeO2 nanoparticles with activated hydroxyl, amine or thiol functional groups. In addition, cytotoxicity studies have been performed in-vitro on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line. Our studies suggest that the overall biocompatibility of cerium oxide is considerably superior to silica, the widely studied metal-oxide as a potential drug career. Cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity of CeO2 can be further tuned by deploying appropriate surface functionalization strategies. Our studies revealed that grafting aminosilane moieties on the surface of nano-ceria significantly reduced hemolysis, to a value of mere 5%, for a particle concentration as high as 1000 μg/ml. Additionally, we have observed inherent cytotoxicity of CeO2 for cancer cells. Such observation paves the way to potential utilization of cerium oxide nanoparticles, not only as a drug carrier but also as a pro-oxidant therapeutic agent for cancer.

Keywords: Cerium oxide; surface functionalization; hemolysis; cytotoxicity; protein adsorption.