Global genetic impact of surface-modified gold nanoparticles on two model human cell lines

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are uniquely suited for various biomedical applications due to the combination of their optical properties with their easily functionalized surfaces. The Au NP surface can be tailored to improve biocompatibility while also attaching targeting ligands or drugs. However, information on how these tailored surface chemistries may affect cell gene expression is scarce. Using two model human cells line, human dermal fibroblasts and prostate cancer cells, microarray experiments measured gene expression over 27,000 human genes. Each of the cell lines was exposed to four related types of surface-modified Au NPs at two different concentrations, and the microarray data was analyzed by weighted gene correlation network analysis and gene functional annotation. Au NPs were shown to affect genes associated with a variety of cellular functions, and surface charge and chemistry were linked with the types of parthways changed and the degree of which those changes occured. Nanoparticle induced gene expression in PC3 and HDF cells was measured after 24 hour exposure to nanoparticles of four different surface coating types. RNA from three separate culture samples were used for each nanoparticle-cell combinations, along with three control samples not exposed to nanoparticles at all.