Oxidative Damage and Energy Metabolism Disorder Contribute to the Hemolytic Effect of Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles

Amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) have been extensively used in biomedical applications due to their particular characteristics. The increased environmental and iatrogenic exposure of SiNPs gained great concerns on the biocompatibility and hematotoxicity of SiNPs. However, the studies on the hemolytic effects of amorphous SiNPs in human erythrocytes are still limited. In this study, amorphous SiNPs with 58 nm were selected and incubated with human erythrocytes for different times (30 min and 2 h) at various concentrations (0, 10, 20, 50, and 100 μg/mL). SiNPs induced a dose-dependent increase in percent hemolysis and significantly increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and decreased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, leading to oxidative damage in erythrocytes. Hydroxyl radical (·OH) levels were detected by electron spin resonance (ESR), and the decreased elimination rates of ·OH showed SiNPs induced low antioxidant ability in human erythrocytes. Na(+)-K(+) ATPase activity and Ca(2+)-Mg(2+) ATPase activity were found remarkably inhibited after SiNP treatment, possibly causing energy sufficient in erythrocytes. Percent hemolysis of SiNPs was significantly decreased in the presence of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP). It was concluded that amorphous SiNPs caused dose-dependent hemolytic effects in human erythrocytes. Oxidative damage and energy metabolism disorder contributed to the hemolytic effects of SiNPs in vitro.