Nanomaterials are innovative materials with many useful properties, but there is concern regarding their many unknown effects on living organisms. Gold nanoparticles are widely used as industrial materials because of their excellent properties. The potential biological hazards of gold nanoparticles are unknown, and thus, here we examined the in vivo effects of gold nanoparticles 10, 50, and 100 nm in diameter (GnP10, GnP50, and GnP100, respectively) and their interactions with drugs in mice to clarify their safety in mammals. Cisplatin, paraquat, and 5-aminosalicylic acid cause side-effect damage to the liver and kidney in mice. No hepatotoxicity or nephrotoxicity was observed when any of the gold nanoparticles alone were administered via the tail vein. In contrast, co-administration of GnP-10 with cisplatin, paraquat, or 5-aminosalicylic acid caused side-effect damage to the kidney. This suggests that gold nanoparticles with a particle size of 10 nm are potentially nephrotoxic due to their interaction with drugs.

纳米材料是具有许多有用特性的创新材料，但人们担心它们对生物体有许多未知的影响。金纳米颗粒因其优异的性能而被广泛用作工业材料。金纳米粒子的潜在生物危害尚不清楚，因此，我们在这里研究了直径为 10、50 和 100 nm 的金纳米粒子（分别为 GnP10、GnP50 和 GnP100）的体内效应及其与药物的相互作用，以阐明它们在哺乳动物中的安全性。顺铂、百草枯和 5-氨基水杨酸会对小鼠的肝脏和肾脏造成副作用损害。当通过尾静脉单独施用任何金纳米颗粒时，没有观察到肝毒性或肾毒性。相反，GnP-10 与顺铂、百草枯或 5-氨基水杨酸共同给药会对肾脏造成副作用。这表明粒径为 10 nm 的金纳米颗粒由于与药物的相互作用而具有潜在的肾毒性。