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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Mar 16.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Mater. 2009 Feb 22;8(4):331–336. doi: 10.1038/nmat2398

Figure 2. Biocompatibility and biodegradability of LPSiNPs.

Figure 2

a, In vitro cytotoxicity of LPSiNP towards HeLa cells, determined by the calcein assay. LPSiNPs at the indicated concentrations were incubated with cells for 48 h. b, In vivo biodistribution and biodegradation of LPSiNPs over a period of 4 weeks in a mouse. Aliquots of LPSiNPs were intravenously injected into the mouse (n=3 or 4, dose=20 mg kg−1). The silicon concentration in the organs was determined at different time points after injection using ICP-OES. c, Change in body mass of mice injected with LPSiNPs (n=3, dose=20 mg kg−1) compared with PBS control (n=4). There is no statistically significant difference in the mass change between control (PBS) and LPSiNPs over a period of 4 weeks. The error bars in a–c indicate s.d. d, Liver, spleen and kidney histology. Livers, spleens and kidneys were collected from mice before, 1 day and 4 weeks after intravenous injection of LPSiNPs (20 mg kg−1). Organs were stained with haematoxylin and eosin. The arrows indicate the LPSiNPs taken up by macrophages in the liver. The scale bar is 50 μm for all images.