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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Jul 17.
Published in final edited form as: Chem Soc Rev. 2017 Jul 17;46(14):4218–4244. doi: 10.1039/c6cs00636a

Table 1.

Intracellular fate of nanoparticles in various cell types.

Cell type* Origin Nanoparticle Purpose Main endocytotic pathway Fate/effect Ref.
MDA435/LCC6/MDR1 Human Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle (PLN) (290 nm) To enhance cellular accumulation and retention of doxorubicin Phagocytosis Nuclear localization 184
MDA435/LCC6/WT Human Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle (PLN) (290 nm) To enhance cellular accumulation and retention of doxorubicin Phagocytosis and pinocytosis ---- 184
EMT6/AR1 Mouse Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle (PLN) (290 nm) To enhance cellular accumulation and retention of doxorubicin Phagocytosis Nuclear localization 184
EMT6/WT Mouse Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle (PLN) (290 nm) To enhance cellular accumulation and retention of doxorubicin Phagocytosis and pinocytosis ---- 184
MCF-7 Human Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle (PLN) (200 nm) To deliver doxorubicin to cancer cells and bypass multidrug resistance ------- Cytoplasm accumulation 185
MCF-7/ADR Human Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticle (PLN) (200 nm) To deliver doxorubicin to cancer cells and bypass multidrug resistance ------- Nuclei accumulation 185
BOEC Bovine Polystyrene nanoparticles (Fluorescent) (44 nm) Delivery or imaging ATP-independent endocytosis Cytoplasm and subsequent release to culture medium 186
HCF Human Polystyrene nanoparticles (Fluorescent) (44 nm) Delivery or imaging ATP-independent endocytosis Cytoplasm and subsequent release to culture medium 186
HRCE Human Polystyrene nanoparticles (Fluorescent) (44 nm) Delivery or imaging Multiple mechanism of ATP-dependent and -independent internalization pathways Cytosol and endocytotic vesicles 187
J774A.1 Mouse Polystyrene nanoparticles (40 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents Clathrin-mediated endocytosis, phagocytosis, and macropinocytosis ------- 81
A549 Human Polystyrene nanoparticles (40 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents Clathrin-mediated and caveolin-mediated endocytosis ------- 81
HepG2 Human Carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles (20 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents Not through early endosomes Cytosol compartments and mitochondria 188
C3A Human Carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles (20 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents Not through early endosomes Cytosol compartments and mitochondria 188
Primary IRHCs Rat Carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles (20 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents Not through early endosomes Cytosol compartments but not mitochondria 188
RAW 264.7 Mouse NH2-labeled polystyrene (PS) nanoparticle (60 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents LAMP-1_ endosome Lysosome, mitochondrial damage, and cytotoxic (apoptosis) 150
BEAS-2B Mouse NH2-labeled polystyrene (PS) nanoparticle (60 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents caveolin-mediated endocytosis Caveolar endosome, cytosol, mitochondrial damage and cytotoxic (necrosis) 150
HMEC Human NH2-labeled polystyrene (PS) nanoparticle (60 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents LAMP-1_endosome Lysosome and cytotoxic at high concentration 150
HEPA-1 Mouse NH2-labeled polystyrene (PS) nanoparticle (60 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents LAMP-1_endosome Lysosome cytotoxic at high concentration 150
PC-12 Rat NH2-labeled polystyrene (PS) nanoparticle (60 nm) Delivery of therapeutic agents - Endosome, Nontoxic 150
Hela Human Carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles (40 nm and 200 nm) Delivery or imaging Clathrin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis ----- 151
1321N1 Human Carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles (40 nm and 200 nm) Delivery or imaging Clathrin-mediated endocytosis ----- 151
A549 Human Carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles (40 nm and 200 nm) Delivery or imaging Clathrin-mediated endocytosis ----- 151
293T Human Alginate–chitosan nanoparticle (157 nm) DNA transfection Clathrin-mediated endocytosis Clathrin-dependent endosomes and lysosomes 189
COS-7 Monkey Alginate–chitosan nanoparticle (157 nm) Successful DNA transfection Clathrin-mediated endocytosis Clathrin-dependent endosomes and lysosomes 189
CHO Hamster Alginate–chitosan nanoparticle (157 nm) Failed DNA transfection Caveolin-mediated endocytosis Caveolin-mediated endosomes and not lysosomes 189
MCF-7 Human Carboxylated Quantum dots (QD655-COOH) (15–21 nm) Live cell fluorescence imaging Clathrin-mediated endocytosis Localized in Lysosomes 190
MCF-10A Human Carboxylated Quantum dots (QD655-COOH) (15–21 nm) Live cell fluorescence imaging Clathrin-mediated endocytosis Localized in lysosomes 190
Hela Human Carboxylated Quantum dots (QD655-COOH) (15–21 nm) Intracellular imaging and therapeutic applications Clathrin-mediated endocytosis Slow release from endosomes to cytoplasm 191
H1299 Human Silica nanoparticles (50 nm) Deliver therapeutic agents Non-specific endocytosis Lysosome 192
A549 Human Silica nanoparticles (50 nm, 100 nm and 300 nm) Delivery or imaging Not clathrin or caveolin mediated Lysosomes 107, 193
THP-1 Human Silica nanoparticles (60 nm) Deliver therapeutic agents Clathrin-mediated and caveolin-mediated endocytosis Vesicles and lysosome 194
A549 Human Silica nanoparticles (60 nm) Deliver therapeutic agents Clathrin-mediated endocytosis Vesicles and lysosome 194
Hela Human Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) (60 nm) Deliver encaptured cargo Macropinocytosis Late endosomes, Lysosomes 195
NIH3T3 Mouse Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) (60 nm) Deliver cargo Clathrin-mediated endocytosis Lysosomes 195
*

Information on the various cell lines: The P-glycoprotein-overexpressing human breast carcinoma cell line (MDA435/LCC6/MDR1), the human breast carcinoma cell line (wild type) (MDA435/LCC6/WT), the P-glycoprotein-overexpressing murine breast carcinoma cell line (EMT6/AR1), the murine breast carcinoma cell line (wild type) (EMT6/WT), human breast cancer cell line (Michigan Cancer Foundation 7) (MCF-7), the P-glycoprotein-overexpressing MCF-7/adriamycin cell line (MCF-7/ADR), bovine oviductal epithelial cells (BOEC), human colon fibroblasts (HCF), primary human renal cortical epithelial cells (HRCE), mouse macrophage cell line (J774A.1), human alveolar epithelial type II cell line (A549), human hepatocyte cell line (HepG2), human hepatocyte cell line (C3A), primary isolated rat hepatocyte couplets (Primary IRHCs), murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7), human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B), the human microvascular endothelial cell (HMEC), mouse hepatocyte cell line (HEPA-1), a cell line derived from pheochromocytoma of the rat adrenal medulla (PC-12), human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa), human brain astrocytoma cell line (1321N1), human embryonic kidney cell line (293T), kidney cell line from African green monkey (COS-7), Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO), human non-tumorigenic epithelial cells (MCF-10A), human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line (H1299), human monocytic cell line (THP-1), and mouse embryo fibroblast cell line (NIH3T3).