Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 26, 2026
Synthesis of Functionalized 10-nm Polymer-coated Gold Particles for Endothelium Targeting and Drug Delivery
Published on: January 15, 2018
Penetration of pegylated gold nanoparticles through rat placental barrier
N A Tsyganova1, R M Khairullin, G S Terentyuk
1Institute of Medicine, Ecology, and Physical Education, Ul'yanovsk State University, Ulyanovsk, Russia.
Abstract:
Penetration of pegylated (enveloped in polyethylene glycol) gold nanoparticles 5 and 30 nm in diameter through the placental barrier was studied in pregnant rats injected intravenously with these particles in a dose of about 0.8 mg Au/kg on day 10 of gestation. The particles were visualized in tissues by silver nitrate autometallography; the total content of gold in the fetuses was evaluated by atomic adsorption spectroscopy. Gold nanoparticles were detected in the fetal liver macrophages and in the spleens; high total content of gold in the fetuses was demonstrated for particles of both sizes. The data suggest that gold nanoparticles penetrate through rat placental barrier in vivo. No morphological changes were detected in the liver, kidneys, spleen, and brain of fetuses.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Physiological Barriers
The blood endothelial barrier is the most porous of these. It allows all small ionized, un-ionized, and lipophilic molecules to pass through the endothelial lining into the interstitial space...
01:23Factors Affecting Drug Distribution: Physiological Barriers
The capillary endothelial barrier allows only smaller molecules below 600 Da (Daltons) to pass through. It also restricts drugs like heparin that are bound to blood components, limiting their movement within the bloodstream.
The...