Inorganic nanomaterials have been increasingly utilized in many consumer products, which has led to concerns about their potential toxicity. At present, there is limited knowledge about the gastrointestinal fate and cytotoxicity of ingested inorganic nanoparticles. This study determined the influence of particle size and concentration of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on their absorption, accumulation, and cytotoxicity in model intestinal epithelial cells. As the mean particle diameter of the AuNPs decreased (from 100 to 50 to 15 nm), their rate of absorption by the intestinal epithelium cells increased, but their cellular accumulation in the epithelial cells decreased. Moreover, accumulation of AuNPs caused cytotoxicity in the intestinal epithelial cells, which was evidenced by depolarization of mitochondria membranes. These results provide important insights into the relationship between the dimensions of AuNPs and their gastrointestinal uptake and potential cytotoxicity.
Keywords: absorption; accumulation; gold nanoparticles; intestinal epithelial cells; mitochondria potential; particle size; toxicity.