Indexed by:Journal Papers

Date of Publication:2019-07-21

Journal:NANOSCALE

Included Journals:SCIE、EI、PubMed

Volume:11

Issue:27

Page Number:12965-12972

ISSN No.:2040-3364

Abstract:With the wide application of Stober silica nanoparticles and their ability to access the brain, it is crucial to evaluate their neurotoxicity. In this study, we used three in vitro model cells, i.e., N9, bEnd.3 and HT22 cells, representing microglia, microendothelial cells and neurons, respectively, to assess the neurotoxicity of Stober silica nanoparticles with different sizes. We found that Stober silica nanoparticles almost had no effect on the viability of bEnd.3 and HT22 cells. In contrast, they induced size-dependent toxicity in N9 cells, which represent the residential macrophages of the central nervous system. Further mechanistic study demonstrated that the toxicity in N9 cells was related to their surface silanol display. In addition, we demonstrated that Stober silica nanoparticles induced the production of mitochondrial ROS, release of IL-1 beta, cleavage of GSDMD, and occurrence of pyroptosis in N9 cells. Features of pyroptosis were also observed in primary microglia and macrophage J774A.1. In conclusion, these findings were helpful for the safety consideration of Stober silica nanoparticles considering their wide applications in our daily life.