Abstract
The utilization of engineered gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in biomedical applications is experiencing rapid growth owing to their reactive nature and remarkable flexibility. However, despite these advantages, concerns persist regarding their in vivo biocompatibility and cytotoxicity. This study aimed to assess the toxicity, biodistribution, and excretion pathways of GNPs functionalized with various antibiotics, namely, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, cefotaxime, and ceftriaxone, using a mouse model. Following intravenous administration, the nanostructures induced an increase in serum enzyme levels and histological abnormalities in the liver, indicating potential hepatotoxic effects. Analysis of organ distribution revealed accumulation primarily in the liver and spleen, with concentrations gradually decreasing 168-h post-administration. Fecal excretion was identified as the primary route of elimination, with a smaller portion excreted via urine. Among the different nanostructures evaluated, those functionalized with levofloxacin (LEV-NP) exhibited minimal organ toxicity and a high clearance rate. Additionally, LEV-NP, with a size of approximately 12 nm, demonstrated superior drug particle stability and lower red blood cell hemolytic activity compared to other nanostructures.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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The part of the study was supported by the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, Government of India (35/14/04/2014-BRNS).
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Pradeepa carried out experiments, implementation, and methodology. He is involved in conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, data collection, and writing of the original draft and performed statistical analysis. Rashmi KV is involved in writing of the original draft, formal analysis, supplementary material, data curation, and investigation. Darshini S. M is involved in writing of the original draft, editing the original draft, and supplementary material. Srinivas Mutalik contributed the resources and helped in supervision. Manjunatha B.K encouraged to investigate the designed experiments and supervised the finding of this work. Anil Kumar H.S helped to design the experiments and formal analysis. Mukunda S supported to develop methodology and encouraged to develop new inputs. Vidya S.M designed and planned the experiments and supervised in each steps and phases. She provided conceptualization, methodology, data curation, and formal analysis. She contributed to the interpretation of the results and verified the analytical methods. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
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Pradeepa, Vasappa, R.K., Mohan, D.S. et al. In vivo toxicity and biodistribution of intravenously administered antibiotic-functionalized gold nanoparticles. Gold Bull 56, 209–220 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13404-024-00343-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13404-024-00343-9