Size-dependent tissue kinetics of PEG-coated gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be used in various biomedical applications, however, very little is known about their size-dependent in vivo kinetics. Here, we performed a kinetic study in mice with different sizes of PEG-coated AuNPs. Small AuNPs (4 or 13nm) showed high levels in blood for 24h and were cleared by 7days, whereas large (100nm) AuNPs were completely cleared by 24h. All AuNPs in blood re-increased at 3months, which correlated with organ levels. Levels of small AuNPs were peaked at 7days in the liver and spleen and at 1month in the mesenteric lymph node, and remained high until 6months, with slow elimination. In contrast, large AuNPs were taken up rapidly ( approximately 30min) into the liver, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes with less elimination phase. TEM showed that AuNPs were entrapped in cytoplasmic vesicles and lysosomes of Kupffer cells and macrophages of spleen and mesenteric lymph node. Small AuNPs transiently activated CYP1A1 and 2B, phase I metabolic enzymes, in liver tissues from 24h to 7days, which mirrored with elevated gold levels in the liver. Large AuNPs did not affect the metabolic enzymes. Thus, propensity to accumulate in the reticuloendothelial organs and activation of phase I metabolic enzymes, suggest that extensive further studies are needed for practical in vivo applications.