Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices
Published on: March 27, 2019
Investigation of toxicological effects of amorphous silica nanostructures with amine-functionalized surfaces on Vero
Rodrigo Costa Puerari1, Emeline Ferrari2, Martina Garcia de Cezar1
1Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.
Abstract:
Amorphous silica (SiO2) nanostructures are described in the literature as having low toxicity and are widely used in many industrial products. However, surface modifications, such as amine-functionalization, can result in increased cytotoxicity. In this study, amorphous SiO2 nanostructures (SiO2 NS) were synthesized and amine-functionalized with two different amine molecules: primary (SiO2 NS@1) and tri-amine (SiO2 NS@3). The materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta potential (ZP), effective diameter (ED) and surface area measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The toxicity of the three SiO2 NS samples toward Vero cells was evaluated. According to the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, the IC50,24h was 1.477 ± 0.12 g L-1 for SiO2 NS, 0.254 ± 0.07 g L-1 for SiO2 NS@1 and 0.117 ± 0.05 g L-1 for SiO2 NS@3. The order of cytotoxicity was SiO2 NS@3 > SiO2 NS@1 » SiO2 NS. There was an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and ROS productions in the cells exposed to all three materials. Also, TEM images showed damage on the mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Polymorphism, Amorphism and Pseudopolymorphism
Some polymorphic crystals possess lower aqueous solubility than their amorphous counterparts, leading to incomplete absorption. For instance, the oral suspension of Chloramphenicol, which...
Cell-surface Signaling
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Particle Size and Effective Surface Area
Amines to Amides: Acylation of Amines
Next, the second equivalent of amine serves as a Brønsted base and deprotonates the quaternary...
Preparation of Amines: Alkylation of Ammonia and Amines
Each alkylation step makes the nitrogen center more nucleophilic, which triggers successive alkylations until a quaternary ammonium salt is formed. Considering...
Functional Groups

