Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Toxicological Research logoLink to Toxicological Research
. 2009 Jun 1;25(2):79–84. doi: 10.5487/TR.2009.25.2.079

Acute Toxicity and Tissue Distribution of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles by a Single Oral Administration in Rats

Eun-Jung Park 13, Young-Kwon Park 23, Kwangsik Park 13,✉
PMCID: PMC7006340  PMID: 32038823

Abstract

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (size: 30 nm) were prepared by the supercritical synthesis method, Acute oral toxicity and tissue distribution of the nanoparticles were evaluated by a single administration in rats. Oral administration of the nanoparticles to the rats did not lead to death when the animals were treated by a dose of 5 g/kg (high dose) as well as 100 mg/kg (low dose). Abnormal clinical signs, changes in serum biochemistry and hematology were not observed in high-dose treated group compared to the vehicle control group. Lesions in liver, lung and kidney were not observed in high-dose treated group by histopathological examination. Tissue distribution analysis in liver, kidney, spleen, lung, testis and brain was performed on day 1, day 7 and day 14 after treatment. The average values of the accumulated cerium oxide nanoparticles were elevated in all tissues but statistical significance was only shown in lung. Low levels of tissue distributions after a single oral administration seem to be the low bioavailability of the nanoparticles.

Key words: Cerium oxide nanoparticles, Acute toxicity, Tissue distribution, Rats

References

  1. Curtis J, Greenberg M, Kester J, Phillips S, Krieger G. Nanotechnology and nanotoxicology: a primer for clinicians. Toxicol. Rev. 2006;25:245–260. doi: 10.2165/00139709-200625040-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Das M, Patil S, Bhargava N, Kang J, Riedel LM, Seal S, Hickman JJ. Auto-catalytic ceria nanopar-ticles offer neuroprotection to adult rat spinal cord neurons. Biomaterials. 2007;28:1918–1925. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2006.11.036. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Foster KA, Galeffi F, Gerich FJ, Turner DA, Muller M. Optical and pharmacological tools to investigate the role of mitochondria during oxidative stress and neurodegeneratation. Prog. Neurobiol. 2006;79:136–171. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2006.07.001. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gao F, Lu Q, Komarneni S. Fast synthesis of cerium oxide nanoparticles and nanorods. J. Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 2006;6:3812–3819. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2006.609. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Green M, Howman E. Semiconductor quantum dots and free radical induced DNA nicking. Chem. Commun. 2005;121:121–123. doi: 10.1039/b413175d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hardman R. A toxicological review of quantum dots: toxicity depends on physicochemical and environmental factors. Environ. Health Perspect. 2006;114:165–172. doi: 10.1289/ehp.8284. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hussain SM, Hess KL, Gearhart JM, Geiss KT, Schlager JJ. In vitro toxicity of nanoparticles in BRL 3A rat liver cells. Toxicol. In Vitro. 2005;19:975–983. doi: 10.1016/j.tiv.2005.06.034. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kagan VE, Bayer H, Shvedova AA. Nano-medicine and nanotoxicology:two sides of the same coin. Nanomedicine. 2005;1:313–316. doi: 10.1016/j.nano.2005.10.003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kipen HM, Laskin DL. Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol. 2005. Smaller is not always better: nanotechnology yields nanotoxicology. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lin W, Huang Y, ZAhou X, Ma Y. Toxicity of cerium oxide nanoparticles in human lung cancer cells. Int. J. Toxicol. 2006;25:451–457. doi: 10.1080/10915810600959543. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Limbach LK, Wick P, Manser P, Grass RN, Bruinink A, Stark WJ. Exposure of engineered nanoparticles to human lung epithelial cells:influence of chemical composition and catalytic activity on oxidative stress. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2007;41:4158–4163. doi: 10.1021/es062629t. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Oberdorster G, Oberdoster E, Oberdorster J. Nanotoxicology:An emerging discipline evolving from studies of ultrafine particles. Environ. Health Perspect. 2005;113:823–829. doi: 10.1289/ehp.7339. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Park E, Choi J, Park Y, Park K. Oxidative stress induced by cerium oxide nanoparticles in cultured BEAS-2B cells. Toxicology. 2008;245:90–100. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2007.12.022. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Park E, Yi J, Chung K, Ryu D, Choi J, Park K. Oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles in cultured BEAS-2B cells. Toxicology Letter. 2008;180:222–229. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2008.06.869. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Park E, Park K. Oxidative stress and proinflammatory responses induced by silica nanoparticles in vivo and in vitro. Toxicol. Lett. 2009;184:18–25. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2008.10.012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Park E, Cho W, Jeong J, Yi J, Choi K, Park K. Pro-inflammatory and potential allergic responses resulting from B cell activation in mice treated with multi-walled carbon nanotubesby intratracheal instillation. Toxicology. 2009;259:113–121. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2009.02.009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Park, E., Yoon, J., Choi, K., Yi, J. and Park, K. (2009c). Induction of chronic inflammation in mice treated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles by intratacheal instillation. Toxicology, 259, in print. [DOI] [PubMed]
  18. Priestly BG, Harford AJ, Rsim MR. Nanotechnology: a promising new technology-but how safe? Med. J. Austral. 2007;186:187–188. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb00859.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sayes CM, Gobin AM, Ausman KD, Mendez J, West JL, Colvin VL. Nano-C60 cytotoxicity is due to lipid peroxidation. Biomaterials. 2005;26:7587–7595. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2005.05.027. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Schubert D, Dargusch R, Raitano J, Chan S. Cerium and yttrium oxide nanoparticles are neuroprotective. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 2006;32:86–91. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.01.129. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Thill A, Zeyons O, Spalla O, Chauvat E, Rose J, Auffan M, Flank AM. Cytotoxicity of CeO2 nanoparticles for Escherichia coli, physico-chemical insight of the cytotoxicity mechanism. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2006;40:6151–6156. doi: 10.1021/es060999b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Xia T, Korge P, Weiss JN, Li N, Venkatesen MI, Sioutas C, Nel A. Quinones and aromatic chemicals compounds inparticulate matter induce mitochondrial dysfunction:Implications for ultrafine particle toxicity. Environ. Health Perspect. 2004;112:1347–1358. doi: 10.1289/ehp.7167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Toxicological Research are provided here courtesy of Korean Society of Toxicology

RESOURCES