Genomic instability of gold nanoparticle treated human lung fibroblast cells

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are one of the most versatile and widely researched materials for novel biomedical applications. However, the current knowledge in their toxicological profile is still incomplete and many on-going investigations aim to understand the potential adverse effects in human body. Here, we employed two dimensional gel electrophoresis to perform a comparative proteomic analysis of AuNP treated MRC-5 lung fibroblast cells. In our findings, we identified 16 proteins that were differentially expressed in MRC-5 lung fibroblasts following exposure to AuNPs. Their expression levels were also verified by western blotting and real time RT-PCR analysis. Of interest was the difference in the oxidative stress related proteins (NADH ubiquinone oxidoreductase (NDUFS1), protein disulfide isomerase associate 3 (PDIA3), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleus protein C1/C2 (hnRNP C1/C2) and thioredoxin-like protein 1 (TXNL1)) as well as proteins associated with cell cycle regulation, cytoskeleton and DNA repair (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleus protein C1/C2 (hnRNP C1/C2) and Secernin-1 (SCN1)). This finding is consistent with the genotoxicity observed in the AuNP treated lung fibroblasts. These results suggest that AuNP treatment can induce oxidative stress-mediated genomic instability.